Playing with Fire
by MrKawaiijake
Summary: Sokka and Zuko find themselves extremely attracted to one another. But in a society where same sex couples are frowned upon, how will their group react?
1. Midnight Angst

**This is a roleplay I did with one of my friends. It's completely collaborative and I did not do it all. My friend's penname is Smokeybubble :3**

**This contains male on male sex so if you're homophobic, probably not the best thing for you. **

**Thanks! Enjoy~**

Sokka rolled over and groaned. It had been the third time in the last five hours that he had woken up that night. _Guess sleeping is out of the question tonight... _he thought to himself as he started to get out of his tent. He looked around at the others tents and decided to go for a little walk. He walked around for about 10 minutes towards the coast line. It was a warm night and he was still in his sleepwear, which consisted of a pair of shorts that didn't leave much to the imagination. He finally got to a cliff right above the coast and saw, to his surprise, Zuko. He jumped at the sight of his friend and gasped a little. Then instantly covered his mouth in hopes that Zuko didn't hear him.

Zuko had been reclining on the wet grass, gazing out over the water. The moon was bright, and gilded the wavelets lapping at the shore with a silver sheen. At the sound of Sokka's approach he leapt up in alarm.  
"What are you doing out here?" he asked, rather defensively. The moonlight cast his face into shadow, and a slight breeze swept through the grass, ruffling his hair.

"What am _**I**_ doing up here?" Sokka asked equally defensive, "I should be asking what _**you **_are doing up here! It's the middle of the night!" He tried to hide the fact that the reason he couldn't get to sleep was because he was thinking about Zuko.

Zuko shifted uncomfortably. "I couldn't sleep." he muttered sullenly. Forcing himself to wrench his eyes from wandering across Sokka's chiseled body, he turned abruptly and stared across the star-strewn water. "Shouldn't you get back to bed?" he snapped over his shoulder.

Sokka looked away from Zuko and shyly said, "Couldn't sleep either..." He walked closer and sat down cross legged next to him, looking out at the vast plane of darkness speckled with light.

After a few moments Zuko glanced across at him. His eyes traveled across the planes of his face, that the moon threw into stark relief. With a guilty jolt, he glanced up at it, wondering if Sokka's old girlfriend would mind if he reached out to touch his cheek. He shivered at the idea and mentally shook himself, forcing his mind on to other things.

Sokka found himself thinking about nothing but the teen next to him, his eyes slid their way to the side of his skull and crawled over every inch of Zuko's body, landing on his hand. _He probably wouldn't notice if I held his hand right?_ Sokka thought, _No! That's a stupid idea! Stop being so stupid brain. _His eyes longingly looked at Zuko's hand again, staying there longer then he had anticipated.

Struggling to keep his mind away from Sokka's half-naked body lying next to him, Zuko furiously racked his brain for something to say. He jerked his head, determined not to look at Sokka again. _Just once_. He told himself. _Then I'm leaving to get my head on straight._Casually he glanced over, and found himself caught by the strong jawline and tanned skin. His fingers twitched, aching to run themselves through Sokka's dark silky hair.

Sokka clenched his eyes shut and flopped onto his back, outstretching his arms. Then he looked up at the night sky and his brain flooded with images of Zuko again.

_Ahh I can't take it!_Zuko groaned to himself. He stared at his hand, imagining what it would feel like to run his finger along Sokka's exposed stomach. Seemingly of its own accord, his hand stretched out, trembling slightly.

Not paying any attention to Zuko's hand, Sokka put his arm over his eyes, trying to distract himself from his own brain. _I could kiss him, _he thought for a second. He had realized what images had just popped into his mind and he bolted upright, his eyes wide open as a slight tint of red powdered his cheeks. He looked over at Zuko.

Zuko froze, his hand still outstretched. His eyes widened as they met Sokka's deep blue gaze. "I ah... umm..." he stammered. Embarrassment welled up inside him, and he considered throwing himself off the cliff to escape drowning in that endless blue. His heart thumped painfully, and heat rose to his face. His hand dropped to the ground.

"Uh... What were you doing?" Sokka asked.

"Nothing. Leave me alone." Zuko stood and began to walk away. _You idiot!_ He yelled at himself. _Did you actually think something would happen? Who would want you? Your just a banished, good for nothing prince._

Sokka watched Zuko walk away. "Ah! Wait! I'm sorry?" He sighed and flopped on the ground again. _What did I do! Ugh why does he have to be so crazy?_ He rolled over onto his stomach and watched Zuko again. _And why does he have to be so... cute?_Sokka sighed again and let his neck go limp, dropping his face onto the grass.

Emotions raged within Zuko. He wrestled with them for a moment, struggling to keep walking forward. _I will NOT look back_ he growled to himself_. _But his steps slowed, his feet begging to turn around. Darts of flame burst from his palms, and his lust surged against his will, threatening to break free from his control. A shout of frustration grew in his throat.

A bright red glow lit up Sokka's eyelids and he looked up again. "You alright?" Sokka called out without realizing that he had said it out loud.

Zuko stopped and looked back, longing to return to the cliffside. Sokka was stretched across the ground, moonlight bathing every inch of his skin with radiance. _Say you're fine._ He snarled to his rebellious mouth. _Say it!_But the words seem to die on his lips.

Sokka was surprised by Zuko's silence. "Uh, wait up!" He called out as he scrambled up from the ground and jogged toward the fire prince.

A smile danced on Zuko's lips. _Stop it!_ he told himself roughly. _Don't be stupid. You know he doesn't like you that way. He probably doesn't like you at all._

When Sokka finally caught up to Zuko, he was amazed that Zuko had stayed there long enough for him to get next to him. He looked into Zuko's dark eyes and said slightly out of breath, "So uh... **are**you okay? You never told me."

The truth spilled from Zuko's lips before he could stop it. "I don't know Sokka. I..." Horrified at what he had been about to say, he clamped his mouth shut and strode off along the cliff edge, resolutely not looking back to see if Sokka followed.

Sokka just stared blankly and raised one of his eyebrows. _What just happened?_  
Instead of going after Zuko this time, he just sighed once again and walked back to camp. _I guess I should try to get at least some sleep tonight... _

Like a dam breaking, disappointment crashed through Zuko as he heard Sokka's footsteps receding towards their camp. He pivoted, and stared as Sokka's wolftail disappeared into the darkness. Not even realizing what he was doing, he took a step towards him, then another, until he broke into a jog. He finally caught up to Sokka, and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around to face him. All the words he was dying to say suddenly drained from his mind. He snatched at them, but they slipped through his grasp, until the only thing he could focus on was the warm feeling of Sokka's bare shoulder under his hand. They were standing so close he could smell the musk of Sokka's skin, so heavy and masculine that he felt lightheaded with need.

Sokka's skin tingled where Zuko's hand was. Zuko's hand was really hot and it felt good in the cool night air. All Sokka wanted to do was embrace Zuko in a loving grasp but he restrained himself and looked into Zuko's eyes. "I... thought you were leaving?" Sokka asked. _Kiss him_, his mind pestered him. "Uh, I was going to head back to camp." _Kiss him. _"I'm getting pretty tired and I was gonna train a little with a new weapon tomorrow." _Kiss him_. "So uhh..." _Kiss him, kiss him, kiss him!_

A pit of desire burned in Zuko's stomach. He yearned for nothing more than to stop Sokka's babbling by pressing his lips against his own. Tentatively, he lifted his hand from Sokka's shoulder and moved to brush his fingers along his cheek. Before he made contact he looked down into Sokka's eyes, almost pleading for permission, yet terrified at what he might find in his gaze.

Sokka's pupils twitched silently begging for Zuko to come closer. Without thinking, Sokka started to lean in closer to the other boy's face, their lips getting mere inches apart from each other. Sokka's eyelids started to fall as he got closer and closer to his subconscious goal.

Zuko inhaled sharply, and lightly brushed his fingers down the hard line of Sokka's jaw. His heart raced in his chest, and his nerves felt ready to snap from the tension. He gently cupped Sokka's face in his palm, almost panting with anticipation. His eyelids lazily lowered.

Sokka just couldn't control himself anymore; he practically shoved his lips into Zuko's.

Zuko's eyes shot open in surprise. He gasped a little, then slid one hand to cup the back of Sokka's neck and slipped the other around to the small of his back. The knot of desire seething in his middle exploded to fill his limbs with warmth, and he crushed Sokka against him, hungrily pressing his mouth against his.

Sokka pressed against Zuko's warm embrace and held the kiss out as long as he could. He wanted to savour this moment forever. Sokka's hands found their way to Zuko's chest. He could feel the fire benders heartbeat quicken with every second their lips were intertwined. The heat of the moment caused Sokka's to elevate to a level that almost synchronized with Zuko's. Sokka let his other hand wrap around Zuko's waist, pulling him in even closer than before.

Zuko growled deep in his throat, pleasure threatening to split his skin. The signs of his arousal were obvious, and pressed hard against Sokka's thigh. Tiny rivets of flame flickered up and down his arms as he lifted one hand to tug at the knot that held Sokka's hair in its wolftail.

Sokka pressed back against Zuko as his hand on the fiery teen's chest glided their way to his stomach and down a little more to slip his fingers into the red waistband around Zuko's hips.

Zuko shivered with delight and allowed the hand resting on the small of Sokka's back to drift ever lower, until he encountered the cloth shorts that were all that covered his body and gave them a playful tug. At the same time, the tie that held Sokka's hair up came away, allowing his dark hair to tumble around his eyes. Zuko twined his fingers in the soft strands at the base of his neck, and stroked his thumb along the curve of Sokka's muscular shoulder.

The dark night sky started to lighten as a small crescent of sun started to glint and shine against the ocean waves. Sokka wanted nothing more than to keep his lips locked against Zuko's forever. His fingers slipped into the strip of cloth that held Zuko's pants up and fiddled with it till it came loose, getting him one step closer to his devious goal. The faint sound of footsteps started to buzz against Sokka's eardrums. His face twitched slightly with fear that someone could interrupt them. He immediately brushed that thought away and continued to feed his lustful mind. The footsteps started to get louder, and closer. Sokka's eyes opened and he broke away from the kiss. Still holding on to Zuko with a look of worry, he quietly panted, "I think someone's coming."


	2. Keeping Secrets

Zuko cocked his head, trying to shake off the haze of need clouding his mind. The footsteps were slapping loudly on the wet grass."You're right. I should go." Regret showed on his face as he pulled his hands away from Sokka. Hurriedly he began to fumble with the strings of his pants.

Sokka put his hands behind his head and sighed. He looked up at the ever brightening sky and smiled. He started walking back to the camp.

Katara went on an early morning walk alone. She wanted to get up early and get some more food from the nearby ocean, and maybe practice a few waterbending moves while she was there. She decided to go the more scenic route and walk along the cliffside.  
"Ah I love mornings!" Karata said with a happy tune to her words. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, taking in every scent that tickled her nose. When she exhaled and opened her eyes, she saw a familiar figure walking in her direction. "Is that...? Zuko!" She called out and waved her arm high above her head trying to get his attention.

Zuko's head jerked up as he heard Katara's greeting. Viciously, he swore under his breath and strove to cool the flush from his cheeks. "Umm hello!" he called. "I was just, uhh, practicing my bending."

Katara raised one of her eyebrows at him. "This early? I never took you for a morning person Zuko."

"Umm... of course I am! I love mornings!" Zuko stammered, twitching his lips into a grotesque smile. "Why wouldn't I be up now? It's not like I'm doing anything wrong or anything!"

"... Okaaayyy then," Katara said skeptically, "Well, would you like to come to the ocean with me to get some fish and seaweed?"

Zuko floundered for a moment, searching for a polite reason to refuse. Coming up with nothing, he reluctantly nodded.

"Great! Let's get going then!" She cheerfully said.

The camp was in view. Sokka continued to lazily walk towards it. He realized that his hair was still down. He pulled a spare hair tie out of his pocket and reached back to contain the tangled mess on top of his head. The only thing on his mind was Zuko. Everything about him was swirling through his head. His face, his body, his touch, his heat, and his kiss.

"Well well," came a voice from his left. "What's got you so excited Sokka?" Toph was propped up on her elbows in the grass, idly gnawing on a hunk of bread. She took a large bite and stared at him with her blank gray eyes. A small, knowing smile played on her lips.

Sokka's heart nearly stopped at the sudden voice. His eyes opened wide and he broke out into a sweaty mess. "What? excited? I'm not excited! You're crazy Toph! Stop being so crazy! I'm not excited at all! You're feet must be lying to you! HA HA HA HA!" Sokka's heartbeat got faster and faster with every word he said.

"I can tell you're lying!" Toph mocked in a sing-song voice. She sat up, a malicious grin plastered over her face. "So Sokka," she continued in an innocent tone completely at odds with her expression. "You wouldn't have seen Zuko this morning would you?"

"Zuko! No! Not at all! I hate that guy! He likes Katara! Why would I have seen him!" Sokka was never really good at lying and once he got started, he spewed random nonsense until someone shut him up.

"Save it loverboy. You're a terrible liar, even if I couldn't feel that your heart is about to explode." Toph's voice was full of smothered laughter.

Sokka scampered next to her and shoved a hand over her mouth, "Shut _**up**_!" He shouted in a whisper, "You can't tell anyone about this and you're wrong!" Sokka tried lying again but after the words left his mouth he immediately realized that he just confessed, "Well... uh... I... Shut up."

Toph slapped his hand away and stood. "Relax loverboy. I'm no snitch." She sniggered. "You're cute together."

"Stop calling me loverboy!" Sokka shouted as his face got redder and redder.

Toph smiled patronizingly, and punched him on the shoulder. "Whatever you say loverboy." She turned and began walking towards the camp. "Twinkletoes!" She shouted in a voice that shook the ground. "Get your lazy butt out of bed! Training time!"

Sokka sighed loudly and a regretful look took over his face. "I'm going to bed!" He then strode into his tent and flopped on his sleeping bag.

Down by the ocean, Katara was trapping fish in bubbles of water and putting them in a wicker basket on the shore.

Zuko moodily kicked at a pile of sand. "Aren't you done yet?" he asked impatiently.

"Well I might get done faster if you helped," Katara said focused, "If you didn't want to come you could have just told me." She scooped up another fish and twirled her wrist with the movement of the waves to bring the sphere to shore.

Annoyed and preoccupied, Zuko snapped, "Yeah? And how could I have helped? I don't even know what I'm doing here." _Especially when I could be..._

"Well, it doesn't matter now, I'm done." Katara got out of the water and moved her body forward and backwards a few times before pulling all the little water droplets off of her and back into the sea. She put her watertribe skirt and top back on and heaved the basket up, then started walking back to camp. This time, going the quicker route.

_Finally!_ Zuko thought, and hurried after her. He overtook her quickly with his longer legs, and they climbed the crumbling trail up the cliffs. A sudden crash shook the ground, making them stumble. Zuko's foot slipped off the path, and he flailed for a moment before finding a foothold. "Aang and Toph must have started training." he remarked, glancing up the cliff face. A shower of dirt and pebbles rained down on him, and they picked up their pace, worried that another disturbance would topple them off the trail.

When they finally got back to camp, the ground shook as an explosion came from the new earthbender. "I brought food!" Katara shouted over the rumble of rock against rock.

Aang dropped his boulder, which split in half with a gigantic crash. "Oh great!" he exclaimed. "I'm starving."  
"Twinkletoes! I decide when we break for food!" Toph's sharp command made him skid to a halt. Crestfallen, he turned back to her and nodded while Zuko walked over to their firepit and sent a stream of flame onto the pile of wood. The logs blazed up, and Katara smiled her thanks as she began preparing the fish. As he turned to duck into his tent, Zuko caught Toph's eye. Uneasy at the smug look she gave him, he dropped the flap quickly and collapsed onto his sleeping bag, exhausted beyond belief.

"Thank you Zuko," Katara said sweetly as she placed the fish on a rock and put it over the fire. A few moments later the fish started to sizzle and pop. The fragrance of cooked meat wafted through the camp. The smell hit Sokka's nostrils. The smell was enough to bring him out of his tent.  
"Mmmmmm breakfast smells great," He said sleepily. Stands of hair fell into his eyes that had strayed from his wolftail. He took out his hair tie and put it in again, making sure it was neater. He sat by the fire and watched the fish cook, licking his lips. Katara handed him a fish and Sokka practically tore it to shreds with the speed that he consumed it. After he had eaten his fill of seafood, he patted his belly and exhaled deeply. "I'm going back to bed!" He walked back into his tent and fell onto his sleeping bag again. He fell asleep almost instantly.


	3. Guilty Passion

When Sokka woke up again it was dark outside. _Woah... how long did I sleep?_ he thought. His fixed his hair again and looked outside. The fire pit was smoldering and had a few bright red embers still glowing on the ground. He got up and rubbed his eyes. _I wonder what time it is._ He looked at Zuko's tent but then immediately looked away trying to get the teen out of his mind. _No, that can't happen again. _He strictly told himself. _Oh... but I want it to so badly..._ He longingly looked back over at Zuko's tent, hoping that he was awake too.

Zuko was staring up at the canopy of his tent. Guilty thoughts of Sokka swirled around his head, no matter how many times he reigned in his thoughts. He rolled onto his side, unable to rid his mind of the feel of Sokka's skin, tortured by the memory of Sokka's body pressed against his own. For the umpteenth time, a ripple of flame sprang up on his skin as emotions raged within him. Annoyed, he extinguished it, only to have another flicker into life. Finally he stripped his shirt off in exasperation to prevent it catching fire, and lay back again, trying to empty his mind.

Sokka saw the flickers of light in Zuko's tent. He walked closer and reached out to open the entrance flap but stopped a few inches away. _This is crazy..._ He thought to himself.

A twig snapping made Zuko look around. A silhouette moved on the fabric of his tent. He tensed. He would know that figure anywhere. Equal measures of hope and dread swelled within him.

Sokka's hand got closer and closer. _No, no stop it hand. Don't do this to me body! _His fingertips gripped the flap as he slowly pulled it open. He peered inside and bit his lip, hoping the occupant was asleep but at the same time wishing he was awake.

Sokka's face appeared in the tent entrance. The sight of it dried Zuko's mouth and sent his heartrate galloping. He opened his mouth, but speech had deserted him. He simply stared, trying to decide if he could keep the turmoil within him from ripping him apart.

"Oh uh... hi." Sokka said awkwardly, "Did I wake you?"

"No." Zuko answered, averting his eyes.

"Mind if I come in?"

Zuko grunted and gave a noncommittal jerk of the head.

Sokka smiled and came in to Zuko's tent. He sat down next to the firebender and stared silently at the floor. "I... uh..."

"Yeah..." Zuko clasped his hands in his lap. One foot tapped nervously against the ground.

"What uh... What are we?" Sokka asked bluntly.

"Something wrong." Zuko whispered. "Something people despise. We shouldn't be doing this." He turned to Sokka. "We can't be doing this."

"But... I like it. I like you," Sokka looked at Zuko. His lip twitched with longing to meet Zuko's again.

"But how can we?" Zuko asked despairingly. "If anyone found out..." He set his jaw, refusing to imagine what might follow that discovery.

Sokka leaned in a little closer. "**If** anyone found out. People won't find out if we don't let them," He tried to say smoothly, giving an awkward smile.

Zuko turned his face away. He could almost feel the heat radiating from Sokka's skin, and he had to grit his teeth to keep himself from pinning Sokka to the ground and coaxing him out of his clothes. The flames gyrating along his skin brightened, and he let out a long breath. "I am going to regret this." he muttered. He looked back at Sokka and smiled reluctantly at his expression. "I suppose one night can't hurt."

Sokka smiled more and leaned in closer to press his lips against Zuko's. When they're mouths made contact, everything in the world disappeared and the only thing that was present in his universe was Zuko. Like the only things that existed were what was in that tent. Two forbidden lovers locked in a state of ecstasy. Sokka's heartbeat elevated as blood rushed into his member. The kiss quickly turned him on and he made it obvious. He gently took Zuko's hand and placed it on his upper thigh, slowly sliding it closer to his torso. Sokka's face flushed as his temperature raised and he got more and more excited. He started to kiss more passionately and harder, trying to impress Zuko with his Dominance.

Zuko smiled into the kiss. Forcefully teasing open Sokka's mouth he let his tongue press against Sokka's and playfully nipped at his lower lip. His own excitement grew more and more obvious, straining against the fabric of his pants. An ache grew between his legs and he growled with pleasure as he put his hands to Sokka's muscular chest and shoved him to the floor.

"Woah, woahmph," Sokka said into the kiss trying to break away from it, "No, I want to be the mmf top!"

Zuko laughed softly. "Don't kid yourself Sokka. **I'm** the one on top." He kissed the line of Sokka's jaw, following the curve of his neck down to his collar.

"And just who decided that?" Sokka argued. He forcefully rolled over on top of Zuko and straddled his hips. He pinned Zuko's hands above his head and leaned down to gently bite his neck.

Zuko bared his teeth with pleasure, and bucked his hips, throwing Sokka over his head, and rolled backwards to land on his chest. "I did. Every time I beat you in a fight. Which was every time." He tugged on Sokka's shirt, attempting to slip it up over his head.

Sokka arched his back, letting Zuko remove his shirt. He was already out of breath from the excitement, but sat up and pushed the other boy over, so that Sokka was in between his legs hovering over him. "I'm pretty sure I beat you a few times," he said grinning.

Zuko curved an eyebrow as he clamped his legs together and twisted, knocking Sokka onto his side. In a flash he had trapped Sokka's legs with his own, and was pinning his biceps to the ground. "Name one time" he teased, running his fingers along the smooth muscle of Sokka's arm.

Sokka thrusted his hips up impatiently, "Come on, lets just do this," He said grinning lustfully. He tried to nip at Zuko's lips that were just out of his reach.

Zuko chuckled. "Finally accepted my dominance?" He undid the ties of Sokka's hair, and loosened the cords that held his pants.

"No, no, I just thought you were going to cowgirl me," Sokka winked and smiled. He placed his hand on Zuko's chest and glided it down from his heart to his waistband, unconsciously licking his lips.

"Tempting, tempting." Zuko traced down the line of Sokka's torso, following the curve of his abs with a trail of nipping kisses. He dipped lower and lower, only halted by the band of Sokka's pants, which he impatiently pulled down.

Sokka watched him and bit his lip eagerly. His breath got heavier and he got more excited, his pants got more constricting and his eyes begged Zuko to just rip them off. He slightly thrusted up a little as Zuko's hands got closer to what Sokka so desperately wanted.

Zuko's skin heated as his hands dropped below Sokka's waist. Small spurts of flame kept shooting from his fingers, and he worried for a moment that he might burn that smooth tanned skin. Then his lust washed over him again and with a growl, he grasped the fabric that was all that stood between him and what he needed so intensely, and ripped it away.

Sokka gasped as the cool night air attacked his suddenly exposed body. The spurts of flame from Zuko's finger tips were welcoming. Sokka's neck went limp. He laid his head back and closed his eyes, wanting to feel every little thing that Zuko did to him.

The pit of desire burned brighter and brighter in Zuko's stomach, sinking lower and lower until it came to rest between his legs, making his groin ache. Panting now, he trailed the fingers of one hand down the juncture of Sokka's hip and leg. The paths they left turned an angry red from the scorching heat of the fire burning on their tips. Then, almost tentative, as if unable to believe that it was actually happening, he took Sokka's stiff length within his hand.

"Ah!" Sokka yelped at the heat that made contact with his member. His eyes burst open and he looked at Zuko and bit his lip longingly.

Sokka just looked so **cute** lying there. Zuko couldn't stop himself. All the reasons screaming at him to stop were swept away in a wave of lust as he wrapped his hand more firmly around Sokka's erection and tugged hard.

Sokka yelped at the pull. "Not so hard!" He complained and threw his head back on the ground.

As if Sokka's member had turned into a snake, Zuko jerked his hand away. "I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"

Sokka looked back down at Zuko with a stern face. "No... I just yelled for nothing," he said in a sarcastic tone.

Zuko flushed as red as the flames now dancing uncontrollably across his fingertips. "Right... Sorry... Should, should I keep going?"

Sokka leaned up and cupped Zuko's face in the palm of his hand. He kissed the other boy's lips and smiled sweetly at him. "Please, this is just getting fun." Sokka playfully winked and kissed Zuko again.

Zuko smiled shyly and shoved Sokka's shoulders back to the ground, determined to do it right this time.

Sokka took a deep breath as thoughts about what was going on swirled around his head. _This is wrong. This is awesome. Please don't ever let this end. _He glanced down at Zuko and noticed his determined facial expression. He chuckled to himself and laid his head back down. _I have no idea what I'm doing..._

Zuko inhaled, trying to loosen the knot of tension building in his chest. Tiny explosions of nervous excitement kept making his heart flutter like a caged bird. Starting at Sokka's neck, he slowly kissed his way over the other boy's chest and down across his stomach. He traveled lower still, and hesitated for a moment as he reached the base of Sokka's quivering erection. Then he plunged onward, gently kissing his way down its length. When he reached the end, he noticed the small trickle of pre-cum seeping from its tip. _I can't believe I'm actually doing this..._ he thought, elated and drunk with desire. His hands shook slightly as he slowly closed his mouth around Sokka's member and sucked.

A sudden moan escaped from Sokka' mouth. He opened his eyes and looked down at Zuko in surprise. Sokka put his hand on the firebenders head and buried his fingers into that dark hair. He practically drooled with excitement. _I can't believe I'm actually doing this..._

_What are they __**doing **__over there?_ Toph lay in her earthen tent, almost ready to throw Zuko and Sokka over the cliff to get them to stop doing whatever was making the ground tremble like that. Faint moans of pleasure reached her sensitive ears, and she ground her teeth, trying to block it out. Another impact vibrated up through her feet and, exasperated, she punched the side of her tent, sending the wall crashing to the ground. Grumbling vehemently, she stomped into the darkness, trying to get some distance between her and the two passionate lovers. Throwing herself on the ground she bended another tent into place and lay back again. _Ahh, much better. Maybe now I'll be able to sleep without feeling those two-..._ A large thump shook her from her doze, followed by a blissful groan. Toph pressed her hand to the earth, and snatched it away again, shuddering. _Eew, eew... oh god... That is disgusting._ Desperate, she clamped her hands over her ears and rolled onto her side. It was going to be a long night.


	4. First Times

Zuko's eyes were slitted with pleasure. He lightly nipped the end of Sokka's member as he took his mouth away, wiping his lips. He glanced down at Sokka, stretched out beneath him, and smiled at his expression of ecstasy. Anxious to try again, he took Sokka's warm and heavy length between his hands and gently gave it an experimental pull. A contented moan reached his ears, and he pulled again, a little harder. Not quite sure what to do next, he slowly worked it up and down, using the sounds emanating from Sokka's throat to judge if it was working or not.

Sokka tried to stop the noises that escaped his mouth. His hand on Zuko's head clenched the hair that was intertwined with his fingers. He gritted his teeth in hopes that it would help muffle his moans. He shoved the hand over his mouth in a final attempt but nothing could stop his mouth from taking over.

Encouraged by the stifled noises coming from beneath him, Zuko began to work Sokka's member harder and faster. A hot flush suffused his skin as his excitement built, and he leaned back over and sucked hard on his lover's cock. The taste of Sokka flooded his mouth. It was so musky, so masculine, Zuko closed his eyes to savor it. He tried to swallow more, but his gag reflex kicked in, and he pulled back a little, coughing slightly. A whine of protest vibrated through his hands resting on Sokka's supple hips.

Sokka gasped and sat up, gently pulling Zuko's head off of his crotch. "Let's do... more," he whispered. Sokka kissed Zuko passionately. His face scrunched up as the taste hit his mouth. He pulled away with his tongue out and nose wrinkled into an unpleasant expression.

Zuko laughed nervously at Sokka's reaction. Then an apprehensive look appeared in his eyes as the meaning of Sokka's words hit home. "...more?" he asked nervously.

Sokka leaned in closer to Zuko and kissed next to his ear. "Fuck me," he whispered seductively.

At his words, excitement verging on terror twisted Zuko's guts. "al... alright." he choked out.

"So um... we're... really gonna do this?" Sokka stammered.

Zuko swallowed painfully, still tasting the traces of Sokka on his lips. "Yeah... Yeah we are." He was proud that his voice scarcely trembled. "Uhh..."

"I guess I'll just..." Sokka laid back and nervously opened his legs. "Should I just...?"

"Umm yeah, I guess... yeah lay there." Zukko stuttered. He stared for a moment at Sokka's crotch, wondering how in the hell to go about this. Feeling a bit self-conscious, he stripped of his pants and knelt. Clumsily, he shuffled forward on his knees, and placed his hands on the insides of Sokka's thighs. He slid them higher, until both hands rested just above Sokka's hips. Then, trailing scorch marks behind it, he slid one hand back down the other boy's leg and gripped his own member with shaking fingers. Hoping he wasn't screwing it up completely, he guided the end under Sokka's ass and felt for the small hole. For a few heart stopping moments his questing length found only unbroken skin.

"What... what are you doing? I don't feel anything," Sokka complained.

"Uhh, give me a second here..." Zuko mumbled. Hurriedly, he slid his other hand off Sokka's hip to join the search. Terse moments passed, until he finally sat back, his face glowing scarlet. "Umm... I uhh... I can't find..."

"Oh uh... I... Here! Let's try..." Sokka searched his brain for an idea, until his face lit up as if a light had illuminated over his head, "...this!" He lifted his legs up into the air, narrowly missing Zuko's nose.

Zuko watched Sokka's concentration clear and smiled fondly, not even minding the foot that swung up a second later, making him flinch. "Have I ever told you how sexy you are when you get an idea?"

Sokka blushed. "Oh... shut up," he said meekly.

Zuko smiled, and pressed Sokka's ankles down onto his shoulders so that the other boy's hips were suspended off the ground. Then he spread Sokka's cheeks and felt for the hole. To his relief, he found it quickly. Heart pounding, he squeezed his eyes closed, thrust his hips forward, and prayed it would work.

"OW OW OW!" Sokka yelped as Zuko penetrated him. His eyes were wide open as he bit his lip to try and cope with the sudden pain.

Zuko's head was thrown back, and a primal howl reverberated from his throat as he clenched his teeth, feeling Sokka close tight around him. His breathing was labored, and pleasure consumed his body as he slowly pumped his hips, building up a jerking rhythm.

"Aaahhhh! Slow down!" Sokka pleaded as he put his hand on Zuko's stomach in an attempt to stop the movement. He bit his lip more and clenched every muscle in his body.

Zuko whimpered and his fingers clamped around Sokka's ankles as he felt the other boy tense. "Ahh, don't do that!" he gasped, eyes watering.

Sokka summed every bit of willpower he had to try and relax his body. He took deep, heavy breaths and was soon as relaxed as he could be. He removed his hand from Zuko's stomach and slightly curled his fingers, still getting used to the foreign body inside of him.

Zuko released a pent up breath when he felt Sokka go slack. He slid his hands down Sokka's ankles to his hips, and very slowly, pushed his pelvis forward.

Sokka inhaled sharply as the other boy entered more. Blood rushed to his face as he started to feel hotter. He could feel every vein in his body pump blood along to the rhythm of his pulse. He felt dizzy and nauseous but didn't want to stop for anything.

Zuko's vision blurred. The world spun around him and the only solid things were his hands on Sokka's hips, and the feeling of Sokka pressing up against him. He let his eyes flutter closed, still slowly thrusting back and forth. His groin was a throbbing lump of pleasure, and a soft moan issued from his mouth. He could feel the climax building within him. Abandoning himself in the waves of bliss washing through his mind, he grabbed Sokka's member with one hand and worked it up and down, following the rhythm of his hips.

Sokka tried to muffle the moans of pleasure that kept escaping from his lips. Eventually he gave up and let the moans fill the tent. It was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced. He let himself drown in the ecstasy that overtook his body. He arched his back in pleasure and in need to grasp something, clawed the ground, all the while moaning and a smile crawling its way up his face.

Zuko's skin glistened with sweat. A small stream of flame left his mouth with every exhale, and the air in the tent shimmered with heat. The pleasure built, almost unbearable in its intensity, edging onto pain. At last, as he thrust forward a final time, the climax hit him with the force of a charging Komodo Rhino. His eyes snapped open, and a wordless bellow burst from his chest. He emptied himself into Sokka, then slumped forwards, his nerves raw, his muscles weak as water, utterly spent.


	5. The Disappointment Sets in

Sokka's lust dream shattered away as his partner collapsed on top of him. "... What? You're done?"

The sound of his lover's voice, so confused and disappointed, roused Zuko from his stupor. "Ah, uh... No! Of course not! Ugh... Don't be ridiculous..."

"Zuko, you just jizzed inside of me."

"Umm, I ah... Yeah... I guess I did..." The sight of Sokka looking so let down filled Zuko with guilt. "But we can keep going, really!"

"No, no it's fine..." Sokka trailed off as he started to sit up, his excitement slowly draining.

"I'm so sorry! A-are you sure?" Zuko stuttered, grabbing Sokka's shoulders. "Seriously I'm okay!" He tried to shove him back onto the sleeping bag.

Sokka gasped as he was thrown back down. "Zuko seriously, if you're done, you're done," Sokka chuckled with a sarcastic tone.

"Sokka, lay down and let me fuck you!" Zuko commanded weakly, attempting to reassert his dominance.

"You already did!" Sokka wiggled in protest. "We honestly don't have to." He broke free of the other boy's grasp and leaned up to kiss Zuko. "You'll just have to promise me next time that it'll be three times better," Sokka said seductively with a flirtatious wink attached to his sentence.

"Well... ok." Zuko acquiesced grudgingly. "So...you're gonna go back to your tent?" he asked, a wistful note to his words.

Sokka kissed Zuko again. "Naw, it's too late. I'll just sneak back in the morning."

Pleased, Zuko glanced at his sleeping bag. "Well, its pretty cold, and my sleeping bag was only meant for one... I guess we'll have to cuddle pretty close to fit..." a roguish glint twinkled his eye.

Sokka snickered and smiled at Zuko. "Guess so."

The two boys slid between the furs, and Zuko wrapped an arm around Sokka's waist, feeling Sokka's head rest on his shoulder. He smiled and closed his eyes, relishing the warmth of Sokka's body pressed against his chest. Letting his muscles relax, he allowed velvety sleep to wash through his mind, bringing dreams of Sokka surging in their wake.


	6. A Rude Awakening

Sunlight seeped its way into Sokka's eyelids. His brain started to make coherent thoughts and take in his surroundings. A moment after Sokka had partially woken up, he noticed a warm body pressed up against his. _Zuko..._He thought. As soon as he thought the name, every thought, every moment, every feeling came rushing back into his memory. _Oh my god did we...? Oh my god we... wow..._ Sokka sat up and slid out of the skin sleeping bag, making sure not to disturb the other boy too much. He quickly put on his pants and grabbed his shirt. He peeked out of the tent opening to see if the coast was clear. No one to the right, no one to the left, looked like he was good to go. He moved as quickly as he could out of the tent and tried to get as far away from it as possible. He got about a foot away from the entrance with his head to the side, just to make sure that no one was coming, when his head made contact with another body. Sokka gasped and dropped his shirt on the floor. "Aang? I uh..."

"Oww..." Aang stumbled backwards, rubbing his arrow. "Oh hey Sokka!" he chirped, squinting up at his friend in the golden dawn light. "What are you doing up so early? And uhh, why don't you have your shirt on?" he asked, noticing Sokka's bare chest. He cocked his head in puzzlement. "Isn't your tent over there?"

"What? Oh uh, yes it is and I was um... I was... pulling.. a prank on Zuko! Yeah.. thats it! That's exactly what I was doing! Nothing else, just that!" Sokka stammered nervously.

"Oh fun!" Aang's eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Can I help? I'm great at pranking! Check it out!" Bending a stream of air past his mouth, Aang whispered into it, then sent it spiraling around Sokka's head. Aang's voice emanated from it, distorted and twisted. "Ruuun," it said, "It'ss coomminngg! Oooohhh eeeee oohhhh!" The column of wind left Sokka's head and dissipated into the cool air. "Pretty great right?" Aang asked, a childish grin on his face.

"Oh um... I would love your help but.. It's a... Watertribe thing!" Sokka claimed with a smile at his idea.

"Ohh..." Aang said, deflating noticeably. "Ok, that's fine."

"Yeah, sorry! Maybe next time," Sokka said in consolation for disappointing the airbender. He picked up his shirt off the ground and scurried off to his own tent.

The morning sunlight also touched on the earthen tent were Toph lay. It crept up the sides with gentle fingers, prying its way through the cracks in the rock, and softly stroked over the girl's skin, sending warmth back to her limbs. It prodded her insistently, until her unseeing eyes snapped open. Drowsiness still clung to her like a leech, the result of listening to Sokka and Zuko thrashing around for half the night. She sat up, rubbing her face. She pressed her feet to the ground, and was relieved to feel only the normal movements of camp beginning to rouse itself to face the day.  
Crawling out of her tent, she bended it back into the earth, and stumbled wearily through the trees towards the camp, hoping hot food would be waiting for her. When she emerged from the shelter of the trees, Aang's light footsteps vibrated up through her heels. She groaned at the thought of being civil and attempted to make that clear as she brushed by him .

"Hi Toph! What sort of training are we going to do today?" Aang questioned preppily as he jumped by her side and started walking with her.

"Go away Twinkletoes." Toph snapped "I'm too tired to deal with you."

"Woah someone's grumpy! Why are you so tired? And why did you just come out of the forest?" Aang pestered Toph with an innocent smile, nearly oblivious to Toph's anger.

In her annoyance, Toph's tongue ran away from her and she exclaimed, "well I wouldn't be so tired if **certain** people stayed in their tents where they're supposed to be and didn't go sneaking around with other people during the night!"

Aang stopped in his tracks at the news. "Certain people? Huh? Do you think that two people are together in our group? Like, **together **together?"

"Oh yeah, they're **together **together. Without a doubt, especially after last night..." She shuddered a bit. "And duh they're in our group. Who else would be around for me to feel?"

"So like... They're kissing?"

"Ha!" Toph laughed. "I think they've gone a bit farther than that!"

"... eewwww, that's really gross! Who are they?"

"Zuko and-" Toph pulled up short. _Oh shit..._

"Zuko and **who**? _**Who?**_" Aang questioned, "I need to know!"

A wall of earth erupted from beneath his feet and flung him twenty feet into the air. Toph jerked her arms wide, and the rock beneath her split to form the walls of a tunnel. She dove into it, closed the entrance, and took off running down its length, cursing her loose tongue every step of the way.

Aang caught himself on the air as he was flung up and pushed a steady stream of wind underneath him, ensuring that he would land on the ground gently. _Hmm... Who would Zuko be... with?_ Aang tried to deduce, _Well, there was that one time that he and Kata- __**Katara**__. Oh my god he's with Katara isn't he! Well, he's not gonna kiss her on my watch!_ Aang stormed off towards camp.

The twittering of the birds filtered through to Zuko's dreams, dragging him unwillingly from a heavy sleep. He cracked his eyelids open and stretched, yawning ferociously. He lay still for a moment, enjoying his half conscious state, before pushing himself up and grabbing his clothes from where they lay in a heap on the floor. He smiled slightly, remembering how they had gotten there, and pulled them on. The sun was bright when he padded out of his tent. The air, laden with salt, had a crisp, chilly feel. He inhaled deeply, enjoying the peaceful morning.

A large crack made him jump out of his skin. He spun around in time to see a spray of rocks shoot into the air, revealing the entrance of a tunnel. Toph strode out from the opening, and stormed past him. She wore a curious expression of annoyance and guilt as she flopped down by the fire pit, refusing to acknowledge him. Just as Zuko opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, Aang appeared from the direction of the forest. A messenger hawk was perched on his shoulder.

"Guys," Aang started with a grim expression, "The king of Ba Sing Se has requested us to come to his city immediately. He says it's an emergency, life or death situation."

"What's happened?" Toph asked, sitting up.

Aang looked back at the tiny slip of paper and turned it over a few times, analyzing every inch of it for more text, "Doesn't say."

Toph lay back with a sigh. "You'd think the world could hold itself together just long enough to let us take a vacation. Can't we let some other people save the world for once?"

"Well then **I'd** be out of a job!" Aang giggled at his stupid joke, "Now come on, we have a city to save!" He jumped into the air and bended himself onto the giant air bison near them. The bison gave a groan in protest to having to fly soon.

"Umm, I think they can wait until we pack up the camp." Zuko pointed out.  
"Oh, right..." Aang said sheepishly. An hour later, Appa leaped into the air and began the long flight to Ba Sing Se.


	7. Ba Sing Se

"There's the inner wall!" Aang's excited cry woke the others from where they languished on Appa's back, and brought them scrambling up to look over the edge of the saddle. Ba Sing Se sprawled across the landscape, a dark blot on the green landscape. Its streets still bustled with people, visible even from this height. A haze of smoke hung over the city, causing the travelers to wrinkle their noses as they flew into it. Zuko could see people pointing up at the bison as they passed by overhead.  
The palace sat at the center of this confusion, its familiar looming presence a relief. "...Is it me, or does it look like the city isn't on the verge of disaster?" Zuko asked after a moment.

When they finally landed in the courtyard of the King's palace, the King rushed out to greet them. "Well hello Mr. Ba Sing Se King! What can we do for you today? When we flew in everything seemed pretty... normal?" Aang said to the King as he slid down Appa's leg to the ground.

"Thank God you have come Avatar." the King said breathlessly, his glasses slipping down his nose. "It's disastrous, I don't know what to do!" His robes flapped as he waved his arms in agitation. "Basco stepped on a thorn and I can't get it out of his paw! Please help him, his suffering is unbearable!"

The entire group went silent. Sokka pushed his way from the back, "What? You mean we came all this way just for your fucking bear? Do you have any idea where we were! Why would you call us all the way here saying it's an emergency just because your stupid freak bear stepped on a thorn? Oh my god this is so stupid!" Sokka fumed at the King, his face turning bright red as he tried to contain himself from punching the guy.

"Hey, Sokka, calm down. It's okay." Aang put his hand on Sokka's shoulder. "I'm sorry Your Highness, we're all just a bit tired from flying for so long." His voice took on an edge of exasperation. "I'll pull the thorn out of Basco's foot." The King's face brightened. "Thank you Avatar. I just can't take listening to his little whines..." and still blathering, he led the group across the paved courtyard and up the steps to the wide front doors of the palace.

"No thanks, I think I'm going to go explore the city for a while. Have fun with your... just bear," Sokka said grumpily as he walked the other way. He slouched and glared at the path in front of him.

Concerned, Zuko watched him walk away. Coming to an abrupt decision, he called over his shoulder, "I'll just make sure he's ok", then turned and trotted after the growling figure already halfway back across the courtyard.

Katara turned to Aang, "What was up with that?" She asked curiously.  
"I don't know! Maybe they're friends now or something," Aang replied. After he finished his sentence he remembered earlier that morning what he had thought about Katara and Zuko. His eyebrows furrowed and his expression became serious, "Maybe _you_ know why Zuko is acting so weird!" He quickened his pace and followed the King into his palace to help the bear.  
"That was weird," Katara stated to Toph who was the only one left around her, "Why is everyone acting so... crazy?"

"Uhh, no idea." Toph replied, shifting her feet. She could sense Katara raising her eyebrows, and hurried after Aang.

Zuko finally caught up to Sokka on a wide avenue flanked with wide gardens and expansive villas. Carriages trundled past, pulled by sleek horses driven by pompous servants. Zuko drew up next to his still fuming friend. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it after getting a glimpse of his expression. Instead, he matched his pace to Sokka's and waited for his friend to cool down, looking around at the beautiful houses surrounding them.

Sokka's eye twitched with annoyance. His face still flushed with blood, but it started to melt away when he saw Zuko out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over, and slowed down a little. Zukos presence was enough to calm him down, even if just a little.

Zuko relaxed slightly as he saw Sokka's tension ease. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah..." Sokka trailed off, "I guess I'm just a little... flustered. From last night."

Zuko cleared his throat, embarrassed. Rather than meet Sokka's gaze, he closed his eyes, concentrating on the brush of the hot, smoke-laden wind across his face.

Sokka slightly smiled at Zuko and looked around to make sure no one they knew was watching, before leaning over and quickly kissing him on the cheek.

A flush of pleasure suffused Zuko's cheek. He smiled back at Sokka and stepped closer to him, entwining his fingers with Sokka's. Frequently checking to ensure no one could see their linked hands, they wandered out of the maze of villas and strolled along a street lined with vendors hawking an extraordinary variety of goods.

Sokka's smile grew wider and wider with every second his hand was connected with Zuko's. They walked passed a shop that had a bit of a familiar aura. "Hey isn't that-" Sokka started but was interrupted by a booming, jolly voice.  
"Zuko? Is that you? Oh! Nephew you've come to visit me!" Iroh shouted at the couple who had just walked past his tea shop, _The Jasmine Dragon_.

"U-Uncle?" Zuko stammered, abruptly dropping Sokka's hand. Then a delighted expression spread over his face. "Uncle!" and he ran to embrace the man standing in the doorway of a crowded shop. The familiar scents of tea washed over him, and his uncle's arms were like the welcoming glimmers of lantern light shining from the windows of home after a return from a long journey.

Sokka stood a few feet away awkwardly. He looked around to try and hide the fact that he was a third wheel.  
"What are you doing in Ba Sing Se?" Iroh asked, gripping the boy's arms after letting him go of the tight hug.

"The Earth King called us here. He had a... job... for Aang. How've you been Uncle? It's been awhile."

"I've been doing great! The _Jasmine Dragon_ has been booming ever since it opened!" Iroh pronounced the name of his tea shop ever so delicately, as if he was holding his most prized possession on his tongue. "How have **you** been nephew? You look troubled."

"Oh! I ahh... I'm fine! Perfect! Yep. Everything's normal. Nothing new. At all." Zuko ground his teeth together into a smile, willing his uncle to believe it. He could feel Sokka standing behind him, and hoped no guilty blush gave him away.

Iroh glanced over at the water tribe boy behind his nephew and smirked slightly. "If you say so, but I'd just like to say that sharing your feelings is usually good. Feelings are like... like tea," He picked up a teapot and a small cup from one of the tables behind him, "It's always better when you share it with others." As he said this, he poured some of the steaming tea into the cup and handed it to Zuko.

A slight reddish tinge colored Zuko's cheeks. He bowed to his uncle and drank the tea quickly, eager to get away from that piercing gaze. His uncle was far too perceptive.  
"Well, thank you for the tea Uncle. But we need to go since Aang has probably finished helping the Earth King by now. I'll come visit you soon." He headed for the door, motioning Sokka to follow.

Iroh sighed and shook his head, _The day that boy shares is the day that platypus-bears fly._

Sokka quickly followed Zuko as he scampered away from the tea shop. "That was... interesting."

"I don't want to talk about it." Zuko said shortly. "We should head back. It won't have taken them that long to pull a thorn out of that stupid bear's paw."

"That's true," Sokka said as he turned around to head back to the palace.


	8. A Painted Face

The next morning, Sokka opened his eyes to the morning sun peering through the window. He sat up and rubbed his face to try and shake the sleepiness out of him. He looked over at the bed next to him and smiled at Zuko's outline underneath a heap of covers. A second later, realized that he hadn't checked to see if anyone else saw that, he glanced over at Aang's bed on the other side of the room to find it empty. He let out a quiet sigh of relief. He swung his legs off the bed and stood up, stretching in the sunlight to get the blood flowing throughout his body again. He slipped his pants and a shirt on and tiptoed over to Zuko's bed and lightly put his hand on the lump's shoulder and gently shook him. "Hey, wanna get out of here and go see the market or something?" He whispered sweetly, still sporting a small smile.

A groan came from beneath the blankets, and a moment later Zuko sat up, rubbing his eyes. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and scowled as Sokka's face swam into view. "You're lucky you're so damn cute, or I would have thrown you through the wall for waking me up this early." He stood, stretching in the warm sunlight that bathed his skin, then pulled on his clothes and ran a hand through his tousled hair. "Ready," he grumbled.

Sokka kissed Zuko on the cheek, "Hey, I don't like being up this early either but if we're near the others I wouldn't be able to kiss you like the passionate lover I am!" Sokka poked sarcastically, "Now lets go. We wouldn't want to run into anyone." They headed out of their room and started towards the entrance. The giant doors were in sight. Sokka got a few steps away from being able to grab the handle when a shrill, motherly voice penetrated their ear drums, "Sokka!"  
Sokka's face crumpled at the sound of his sister's call. He plastered a grin on to his face before turning around, "Uh, Zuko and I were just gonna go to the market to get some supplies and food and stuff," He said defensively.  
"Uh, alright? I just wanted to tell you that Suki was in town for a few days," Katara said with an eyebrow raised.  
"Woah really?" Sokka asked in disbelief, "That's uh... that's.." Sokka stammered, "That's great!" He finally said with nervously laced in his tone. "Well we better get going! Maybe we'll see her out there! Thanks! Bye!" With that, he rushed out the door, practically dragging Zuko along.  
When they got to the market that was a short few blocks away, Sokka sighed with relief. "Glad we finally got out of _that_ place..."

"So..." Zuko said, nonchalantly examining the stalls as they passed. "Suki's in town. How long has it been since you've seen her?" He kept his eyes glued to the assortment of goods displayed by the shopkeepers, attempting indifference.

"Uh, a while, I can't really remember," Sokka answered meekly, "Maybe we won't run into her, I mean, it is a **huge** city after all!"

"Yeah, maybe." Zuko said doubtfully.  
"Sokka? Sokka!" A familiar voice split the air.  
"Universe, why is it your goal to prove me wrong?" Zuko groaned, turning to see Suki pushing through the crowd towards them. Her face was lit up with excitement underneath her face paint, and the moment she reached them she threw herself into Sokka's arms.

He tensed when she made contact with him. "Oh uh, Suki! It's you!" He said with a fabricated tone of pleasure. He barely hugged her back and looked over at Zuko apologetically.

He had crossed his arms, and was glaring into the crowd. Suki finally pulled back from the hug and kissed Sokka on the cheek. "It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed, threading her arm through his. She glanced over at Zuko. "How've you been Zuko? I haven't seen you in awhile either."  
"I'm fine." he replied shortly. "Actually Sokka and I were going to get some supplies and stuff. Maybe we can talk later."  
"Well why don't I come with you?" Suki looked taken aback at Zuko's cold greeting. Turning back to Sokka she slipped one arm around his waist and smiled up at him. "I've missed you."

"Oh! Um..." Sokka fumbled for the right words to say before finally settling on, "I've missed you too."

Zuko snorted derisively and turned his back.  
"What's up with him?" Suki whispered to Sokka, raising an eyebrow at the firebender.

"Oh don't mind him! He just... _really_ wanted to have... uh, guy time!" Sokka lied.

"Huh." Suki shrugged. "Well anyway, tell me what you've been up to Sokka! How is everyone else?" She began leading him into the market, leaving Zuko to trail sullenly behind them.

Sokka bit his lip and looked at Zuko again, trying to send him mind signals through his eyes to let him know how sorry he was. He turned back to Suki and gave up trying to give her hints to get rid of her, "They're good. We're all pretty tired though, from you know, Avatar stuff."

"Yeah," Zuko broke in. "You know, just the five of us."  
"You're so grumpy today Zuko." Suki observed. "Why don't you go rest awhile, since you're **so** exhausted from all this Avatar stuff. Sokka and I can pick up the supplies you need."  
"Fine!" Zuko snapped back. He turned on his heel and stomped away, jealousy roiling in his stomach.  
"Ahh, he's finally gone." Suki sighed. "What's his deal?"

Sokka watched Zuko storm away and yearned to go after him but stayed where he was to hide their secret. "He uh, was just excited about guy time. You know, testosterone and all that stuff," Sokka bluffed, not looking Suki in the eyes.

Suki laughed. "You guys are so weird sometimes." She stretched up to kiss Sokka again.

Sokka started to panic, he couldn't have Suki kiss him again, that would just be the spark to the guilt bomb forming in his stomach. His eyes darted around when he looked at a random booth and jerked his head away and shouted, "Hey! Look at that amazing booth!"

Suki glanced around, then threw Sokka a confused look "Uhh, the stall selling cabbages?"

Sokka's eye twitched with annoyance. "Yes! Of course!" He dashed over to the cabbage booth and picked one up and sniffed it, not knowing what he was doing at all. "Yeah our group is in dire need of," He gulped, "...cabbages. It's what gives Aang his, Avatar state! Yep!"  
"Hey! You sniff it, you buy it! Don't you dare destroy my precious cabbages!" The elderly man from behind the booth called out.  
"What? That's crazy! There should be a sign saying that!" Sokka protested.  
The cabbage man took a step to the right, exposing a sign with the words _YOU SNIFF IT, YOU BUY IT_ printed in big, red letters.  
Sokka scowled and dug into his pocket for the few coins the cabbage cost. He handed it over to the booth clerk. Then he took firm hold on his newly acquired cabbage and practically shoved it up his nose by sniffing it so violently just to spite the man. The intensity of the smelling had caused some dust to fly into Sokka's nose. His face puckered as the dust worked its way into Sokka's sinus. He let out a loud, wet sneeze, spewing face fluids all over the cabbages on the cart. He stood there for a moment, his eyes open wide at what he had done. He grinned innocently at the man whose face was frozen in disbelief before running as fast as he could away from the small booth.  
"**My cabbages!" **The man shouted to the sky. "You won't get away with this you little snot!" He shook his fist at the water tribe boy who had disappeared into the crowd of people.

Suki found him a little while later, pressed against the wall of an alley, the cabbage still clutched in his hand. He dropped it a moment later when he felt her tap on his shoulder. She giggled at his reaction, and bent down to retrieve the vegetable. "So cabbages are the secret to the Avatar state huh? I always wondered." Her voice was full of mirth. "Though how Aang will keep up his supply after that little incident..." She laughed again and threaded her fingers through Sokka's.

Sokka twisted his fingers away in protest. He looked down at the ground and sighed.

"Sokka? What's wrong?" Suki asked, trying to turn his face towards hers.

He jerked his head away from her hand, "Nothing."

"You know you can tell me."

"No, I can't- I mean! I already told you! It's nothing!" Sokka looked at her with panicked eyes to see if she heard what he had said first.

She had. Her eyes narrowed. "Sokka this is ridiculous! Why can't you tell me?"

"Because it's nothing!" Sokka argued relentlessly.

"Why won't you trust me?" Suki shouted back.

"I do trust you!"

"Then tell me! I can't believe after all we've done together you can't do that!"

"No!" Sokka shouted unintentionally getting closer to her face trying to get his point across, "Would you please just trust me and **drop **it?"

"Would you just have a little trust and tell me?" Suki yelled back, shoving him so his back hit the alley wall.

Sokka pressed his forehead against hers, rage was over taking his brain, "Fine! You really want to know?" He shouted at her.

"Your powers of deduction are amazing Sokka!" Suki's eyes were blazing with passionate fury. "Just spit it out!"

"It's because Zuko and I are _**fucking**_!" Sokka blurted out without thinking.

The fire died from Suki's eyes and she took a hesitant step back from Sokka. "Wh-what?" Disbelief filled her face.

Sokka still glared at Suki. His eyebrows slowly unfurrowed as the gears in his brain started to turn. "Uh..." He mumbled.

"Sokka, you... you're..." Suki couldn't bring herself to say the word. She seemed unable to comprehend what he had just said. She searched his face, frantically looking for the barest hint that this was just another bad joke.

Sokka looked down at the ground, unable to meet Suki's gaze.

Disgust and revulsion filled her face. "So, all that time..." She couldn't finish. A single tear tracked through her white face paint and she turned away. "Goodbye Sokka." her voice was icy. She turned and stalked away from him, disappearing into the crowded marketplace.

"Suki! Wait!" Sokka tried to follow her, but it was too late. She was gone.


	9. A Cup of Wisdom

The bright sun, the chattering market crowd, Zuko was blind to it all. Watching Suki drape herself all over Sokka infuriated him. Another explosion of anger rippled through his body as he remembered how she had kissed him. It had taken all of his willpower not to blast her to cinders while she paraded herself in front of **his** boyfriend. He expelled a jet of flame from his mouth, ignoring the looks people shot him. _How dare she try to seduce him?_ he snarled to himself.  
He had taken a deep breath, trying to contain his storming jealousy, when a voice cut through his churning thoughts.

"Green! Earl grey! Black! Orange pekoe! _Jasmine_! And that's just a fraction of the list! We have them all folks! Come on up and try _The Jasmine Dragon's _famous tea! It's the best in Ba Sing Se," Iroh called to random citizens passing by. He had a handful of flyers for his tea shop and handed them out as people walked by. "Special sale! Buy two cups, get the third one free!"  
"Wow Iroh, a sale?" A clean cut man shouted at Iroh as he walked by, "I'm worried I'm going to spend my life savings on your tea!"  
"Oh now my boy that would be something you should talk to your financialist about," Iroh chuckled, "I mean, I can't have one of my best customers going broke on me!" He broke out into a full blown laugh. The man and Iroh laughed for another few moments with one another before the man left carrying a handful of flyers to give to other people.  
"Take care Iroh!" the man called out behind him as he left, waving to the old man.  
"Ah such good people in this city!" Iroh sighed to himself.

Zuko watched his uncle shouting good-naturedly to the crowd, and smiled slightly. _I wonder if Uncle would care if I was with Sokka. It's probably okay to tell him, right? I mean, he's Uncle!_ But another part of him shied away. _What if he hates you for it?_ _There's no way you can tell him! _ Zuko stood, transfixed, arguing back and forth within himself, an island amid a sea of rushing people. _Think Zuko. If he hasn't hated you for all the other things you've done, why should he start for this?_

Iroh's eyes searched the crowd of people, a gap formed for a second and he saw his nephew standing in the middle of it. "Zuko!" He called out and moved from behind his stand to go greet his family member. His apron flapped in the makeshift breeze that all of the bodies created.

"Oh, uh... hello Uncle." Zuko said, trying to make his voice sound normal. "Ah, getting good business today?"

"Yes! Now come! Let's catch up!" Iroh gripped Zuko wrist and whisked him through the crowd back to his booth. "No reason I can't manage my cart and talk to family at the same time!"

"Right!" Zuko exclaimed with false enthusiasm. "Well, uh, actually Uncle, can I ask you something?"

"Of course my nephew!" Iroh smiled at the scared face. He had always seen past his nephews harsh exterior to the beauty underneath it.

"Okay, umm... Alright so let's say that there are these two people who like each other. You know, like more than friends." Zuko shifted uncomfortably as he spoke, staring down at the flagstoned street. "And, just for arguments sake, some people didn't want them to, uhh, be together..." he trailed off nervously.

"Like, a firebender and a water bender?" Iroh questioned. Before waiting for a response he dove into his response, "That shouldn't stop the two from loving one another. Just because people think it's wrong doesn't mean that they should stop. Love prevails over all!" He said with a grin. His face hardened and he looked at Zuko with a scowl and piercing eyes, "I would think that all this time you've been spending with the Avatar would have taught you that!" He shook his head disapprovingly.

"No, not exactly a firebender and a waterbender." Zuko looked around for inspiration. "Like something even the Avatar might not accept." He stole a look at his uncle from under his lashes. "Like, umm... like a brother and a sister dating maybe."

Iroh scrunched his nose and looked Zuko firmly in the eyes, "I understand this is hypothetical, but if you are trying to tell me that you and Azula are up to something I would tell you that 'that is just wrong'."

Zuko gaped for a moment, then sputtered, "Oh god Uncle, Azula? Me and her...? That is disgusting!" Zuko shuddered at the idea, revolted. "I would never date her! How could you think that?"

"Hey, you said brother and sister," the old man shrugged.

"Riiight. Well anyway, maybe not brother and sister, but something everyone would, ah, disapprove heavily of."

"Is there really anything that _everyone_ disapproves of heavily?" Iroh said as he poured some water into a teapot to refill the sample's he was giving out to the market crowd. "There are some people who just hate everything, and some people who do not hate anything." He moved away from the pot and filled a ball of metal mesh with different spices that were on his cart. "Then there are some people who just hate something because they do not understand." He put the spices into the teapot and hung it over a small fire pit next to his booth. "The Soul Dragon flower has many special characteristics. One of them is when you make a tea out of its leaves, it becomes very poisonous and closes one's throat. However, if you just simply boil the small amount of juice that one flower produces, it is a drink that a man would pay his life savings for. And the thing is, it is a flower that one can find anywhere. It grows right under our noses and people just pass it by. Maybe because it has a hideous exterior that no one would think to look within to find the true state of what we would enjoy." The teapot started to hiss profusely before loudly screaming at the two. Iroh took it off the fire and set it on the cart to cool for a few moments before pouring two cups for himself and his nephew.

Zuko sipped at his tea, considering Iroh's words. After a moment, he nodded and smiled. "Thank you Uncle. I can alway count on your advice." He drank the hot liquid, so reminiscent of his days traveling with his uncle, and felt a measure of peace steal through him.

"So when do I get to meet him?" Iroh asked grinning behind his tea.

The peace curdled in Zuko's stomach. His throat seized and he spewed hot tea all over the table. Choking, eyes watering, he could only manage a "Wh-what?" as panic shot through him.

"That watertribe boy who stopped by my shop with you yesterday," He chuckled and took another sip of tea.

"That- that is crazy! You think that I- I'm with him?" Zuko tried to laugh. "That's even more crazy than me and Azula!" But the protests queuing up in his mouth died on his tongue when he looked into his uncle's eyes. He slumped forward and put his head in his hands. "I'm a disgrace." he whispered into them. "No honorable fire nation prince should feel like I do about him."

"Zuko, no honorable prince should be ashamed of his feelings."

"Well I'm not exactly a role model for honor now am I?" Zuko seethed.

"Not if you speak like that!" Iroh scolded the prince.

"But you just agreed that I shouldn't feel like this!"

"Honor comes with confidence prince Zuko."

"Stop preaching to me like I'm a child!" Zuko clenched his fists. "Tell me something that makes sense for once, instead of your stupid proverbs that nobody understands!"

"Hmph! Well at least my _tea_ understands me!"

Zuko glared at him, knowing he should be relieved his uncle hadn't been disgusted at his revelation, yet unwilling to let go of his anger. Finally he let out a snort of frustration and turned away, crossing his arms. "I'm going back to the palace." he ground out.

Iroh watched the fuming teen walk away. He sighed, "When will that boy understand?"


	10. Mixing it up

Iroh watched the fuming teen walk away. He sighed, "When will that boy understand?"

With no real emergency to keep them, the gang decided to leave Ba Sing Se and return to their vacation. "Aahh, finally!" Toph exclaimed with relief when Aang suggested the idea. "This place has way too many rules. You have to be so damn polite all the time." Zuko had to admit to himself that he was also glad to leave Ba Sing Se. He was more rattled than he would like to confess after his talk with his uncle.  
They loaded up on Appa early the next day. The frigid air whipped at their hair and the sky was yet dark and grey as the bison leapt upwards. Zuko sat sprawled against the side of the saddle, and watched the first rays of sunlight spark into life on the edge of the horizon. The warmth touched his scarred face, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the hot feeling on his skin. He glanced across at Sokka, but quickly looked back at the sunrise, trying to make sense of his uncle's advice playing around in his head. Exhaling, he gave up puzzling over Iroh's nonsense, and spent the ride back to the island watching the ground sweep by below.  
He was half-asleep, lolling against the saddle edge when Appa touched down with a jolt, cracking his head against the rim. He sat up, rubbing his head, then vaulted over the side and slid down Appa's furry flank.

Sokka slid off the furry beast right behind Zuko. When he got to the ground he stretched his arms over his head and groaned as his muscles contracted and restricted themselves against their usual movements. His eyes twitched towards Zuko, pulling Sokka's mind dangerously close to regret. He jerked his head away and clenched his eyes, trying to focus on something, anything, other than Zuko. No effect, Sokka's neck kept twisting to the firebenders direction. Sokka's mind officially wandered off. His eyes traced their way up and down Zuko's body. Sokka wished desperately that he could just rip those clothes off him and fuck him right there. His blood pressure started to rise, he started sweating a little as his breath quickened, getting lost in the images in his head. He licked his lips, remembering Zuko's taste; his favorite taste. His thoughts shattered as a large bag fell from the sky onto Sokka's head, shoving him to the ground.  
"Oopse! Sorry Sokka!" Katara shouted from atop the bison.  
Sokka looked up from the ground at the girl, "Be more careful next time!"

Zuko smiled to himself at Sokka's reaction. He was so cute when he was annoyed. Their camp was set up in a surprisingly short amount of time, and Zuko felt some of his tension ease. Outside the city, solitude was free to come by, and he was going to make sure that not a minute of that solitude went to waste. He caught Sokka's eye as he rose from tying the last tent pole in place, and raised one eyebrow at him meaningfully. Then he turned and strode out of the camp, muttering some excuse about collecting firewood.

Sokka was lounging on a log next to the fire pit. He saw Zuko's signals and jumped up immediately. He quickly realized how he had to be inconspicuous. He walked behind his tent whistling. He fumbled with the ties for a second before looking around and darting off to catch up with Zuko.

A malicious grin tweaked the edges of Zuko's mouth at the sound of Sokka's footsteps. Quickly, he shot a look over his shoulder to see if Sokka had seen him. He hadn't, so Zuko whipped himself behind a tree and waited for the other boy to pass by.

Sokka was moving somewhere in between a walk and a jog. He wanted to be with Zuko so badly that he could barely handle it. He slowed down a bit as he reached the top of a hill. The only thing in his site was a tree nearby. He looked around and after no success in spotting his target, he pouted a little and let out a small sigh. He took another few steps forward, then sprawled on his face as something shoved him from behind.

"Well now," Zuko whispered in his ear, one knee pressing down on Sokka's hips. "It appears **I'm** the one on top yet again."

A yelp escaped from Sokka's lips as he was thrust to the ground. "Hey! That's not fair!" Sokka protested as he tried to escape.

"What's not fair is that I've had to wait two whole days to do this." Zuko said, pretending to glower down at him.

Sokka snickered, "Oh and you think it's been any easier for me?" He wiggled his way out of Zuko's grasp and pushed him over onto his back, leering over him so that their faces were inches away from one another. He smiled, "It's **my** turn."

Zuko sighed dramatically. "Well I suppose I'll let you have this one. You just looked so pathetic last time..."

"Well if you're on top again I might never get a chance to finish Mr. Premature," Sokka teased as he leaned down and pressed his lips against the fire benders.

"Ha! You're just impressed at how good I am at making you moan." Zuko shot back. He ran a finger along the hem of Sokka's shirt and pulled it slightly up, revealing a swathe of smooth skin, feeling his pulse pound in his ears.

Sokka pressed his body against Zuko's as they kissed more. He eventually moved over to the other boy's ear. His lips made their way down Zuko's neck. Sokka's fingers found their way to Zuko's shirt, slowly pulling it up exposing the young firebender's chest. Sokka kissed his way down Zuko's chest, trailing the natural crevices and bumps on Zuko's torso. Sokka continued all the way to the red waistband around his partner. He playfully tugged at it and looked up at Zuko, his eyes filled with lust.

Zuko's tongue flicked over his lips. He managed to slip Sokka's shirt off, mesmerized by the lean muscles flexing underneath tanned skin. His breath panted out and he jerked his head impatiently at Sokka, feeling desire swell in his chest.

Sokka smirked and licked his lips seductively. "Oh, did you want me to keep going?" He snickered playfully.

"You better," Zuko growled. "Or you'll lose any claim to the little dominance you have." He stretched his arms up over his head and grinned wolfishly at Sokka. "Unless said dominance is so pitiful you can't fuck me right now."

Sokka's smirk disappeared. He bit Zuko's hip, hard.

"Ahh, now we're getting somewhere..." Zuko murmured. "Hit a nerve, have I?" His hips pushed up slightly in anticipation.

Sokka smiled again and licked the teeth marks that now imprinted Zuko's skin. Sokka slowly pulled off Zuko's pants, his underwear following.

A slight breath escaped Zuko's mouth when he felt the cool air hit him. "I guess I did." he said, panting. His nerves felt stretched and tense, and flames began to sputter from his fingertips.

Sokka gripped Zuko's member and pressed the tip against his tongue.

A groan vibrated up Zuko's throat, and he clenched his teeth. The touch of Sokka's mouth turned his groin into a bundle of throbbing nerves. He felt a slight sweat break out on his forehead, and chills raced up his spine. His pelvis bucked, and he looked down at Sokka, pupils dilated with desire.

Sokka took Zuko's head into his mouth, swirling his tongue around it like it was candy. He started to bob his head up and down on Zuko, taking more and more of him into his mouth with every down motion. Sokka was starting to get into it. _Wow this is really... __**fun**_, He thought as his tongue pressed against the slit on Zuko's head and tasted the pre cum leaking out of it. Sokka started to move faster, taking Zuko's full member into his mouth. Any element of foreplay that Sokka thought about doing vanished, leaving the full desire to blow Zuko's mind. He started to move faster and faster, every now and then pressing his tongue against Zuko's shaft and dragging it all the way down to his base. Every few minutes Sokka would come up for air, every time he took his mouth off of Zuko, he eyed his partner seductively, barely letting his tongue lawl out of his mouth before going back down.

Zuko's chest heaved. He tilted his head back, the feeling of Sokka's tongue sending him riding on waves of ecstasy. A feral moan hung trapped in his throat, and Sokka's name burst from his lips. His eyes slitted closed, and fireworks of desire exploded in the darkness of his mind. He could feel his climax building, a roaring wave waiting to crash down and sweep him away. He arched his back, feeling the shadow of the wave loom over him.

Sokka realized that he was getting too carried away, and that if he didn't stop now, he would never get his chance to prove his masculinity by fucking Zuko! He took his mouth away from his partner' member and looked him in the eyes, licking his lips.

Zuko's head jerked up off the ground as he felt Sokka withdraw. He met Sokka's gaze, his brow knitted in confusion. "Why did you stop?" he demanded in a husky voice.

Sokka crawled his way up Zuko's body just enough to stop at his lips. He kissed the other boy deeply and smiled mischievously.

"Ooh..." Zuko trailed off with a grin. He stole another kiss and trailed his fingertips across Sokka's stomach. "You really **do **think you've got dominance."

Sokka's smile widened, "Oh I **know **I've got dominance." The geers turned in Sokka's brain before finally clicking into place and realizing what he had said, "Er, wait. I mean I **know** I **am** dominant! No submissive...-ness... in me!" Sokka stuttered trying to fix the train wreck on his tongue. He eventually let out a sigh. "Shut up." He kissed Zuko hard and slid his hand down the other boy's body but stopped at his groin. Sokka kept kissing Zuko and grabbed Zuko's member firmly. He started to slide his hand up and down his length. Base to tip, tip to base, getting faster and faster with every second that passed. Sokka pulled at Zuko's lower lip with his teeth and playfully bit down on it before continuing to kiss him.

Zuko's breath hitched in his throat. He dug his fingers into Sokka's back, and moaned softly into Sokka's mouth. His hips bucked slightly, his muscles quivering at the other boy's touch.

Sokka broke the kiss but still lingered near Zuko's head, panting heavily into his ear. His hand moved away from Zuko's member and moved delicately down further. This time heading back in between Zuko's legs. Sokka's index finger found the entrance he was looking for. He pressed firmly against it until it released, giving Sokka control.

Zuko's eyes widened as he felt Sokka slip into him. He ground his teeth together, straining to stay relaxed. He let out a small groan at the unfamiliar sensation, dragging his hands down Sokka's sides to his hips. Scorch marks burned in the paths his fingers left.

Sokka bit Zuko's earlobe and added a second finger. He let go of Zuko's ear and licked the mark that his teeth left. "You like that?" He whispered.

"You need an answer?" Zuko groaned, almost writhing beneath Sokka's touch.

"I'm trying to be sexy..." Sokka trailed off with Zuko's lack of cooperation. He wiggled the fingers inside of Zuko and pushed them in and out for a few minutes before taking them fully out. He sat up and moved Zuko's legs so that they were around Sokka's hips. He adjusted himself so that the tip of his member was pressing against Zuko's hole. "Ready?" He gulped, slightly nervous.

Trepidation flashed in Zuko's eyes for a brief moment. Then it was gone, replaced by a cocky grin. "If you're dominance is up to it."

Sokka scowled and thrust his hips forward. His member shot in almost all the way with the one movement. A small moan escaped from his lungs before inhaling sharply.

Zuko gasped at the sudden sensation and bolted upright, clenching instinctually.

Sokka yelped as Zuko latched onto him. He pushed Zuko back down on the grassy hill and grinned. He started to move his hips slowly. Barely moving at first just to get the hang of it. Once he started, he felt as if he couldn't stop. His breathing patterns got heavier and faster, matching his pace. Soon he had a constant speed. He gripped Zuko's thighs and held them in place.

Zuko's head was tilted back against the ground. The world spun around him, waves of pleasure rocketing through his body. His hands had dropped to the ground, his fingers clenching and unclenching, feeling himself surrender to Sokka's control.

Sokka moved in and out of Zuko for several minutes, changing his speed at random times. Sometimes going faster, sometimes going slower, sometimes staying constant. The feeling started to overwhelm Sokka. He felt like he was going to explode. "Ahh... Zuko," He groaned. He made a final movement and shoved himself hard into Zuko's body. He released all of his energy into Zuko, letting his spine shake and shiver as he finished. His body relaxed and he sat down on his knees, Zuko's legs still around him.

Zuko felt Sokka go over the edge, and unhooked his knees from around Sokka's waist. Clambering up onto Sokka's lap, he whispered in his ear "Oh no, we're not done yet." and gently pressed his shoulders to the ground. "We're not done until I say we are." He declared, smiling wickedly down at Sokka.

"Hey! No, stop! I can't take anymore!" Sokka whimpered in protest as he was pushed to the ground.

"You see," Zuko said, flashing his teeth again. "This is why I am dominant." He bent over Sokka and kissed him, stroking his hands down Sokka's ribs to his groin.

"Ah!" Sokka's body jerked slightly from feeling over stimulated. He rolled over onto his stomach and tried to crawl away.

Zuko's hand closed like a vice around his ankle, dragging him back underneath him. With deft movements, Zuko hooked a hand underneath Sokka's shoulder, flipped him over onto his back, then leaned down and swallowed his half-limp cock whole.

Sokka gasped and writhed on the ground. A slight thumping hit his well tuned ears. "Zuko, wait I- Ahh!" Sokka started but was interrupted when Zuko's tongue danced around his tip.

Zuko took his mouth away just long enough to growl up at Sokka, "shut up. I'm not waiting." He gave Sokka's member a warning tug, accompanied by a warning glare, before again bending his head to his task.

"No I think I- nngg" He gritted his teeth as the mixture of pleasure and pain swirled in his groin. He gripped the ground and arched his back, letting out an audible moan.  
Aang was talking a walk through the rolling hills and fields to try and find something to do. _This island is just so boring sometimes! Nothing to do except train... _He thought. He kicked a small stone hard and gave it a lot of extra momentum by bending it forward and giving it a small shove of an air current he created with the flick of his wrist. It flew up over a hill that was almost a statue hall's length away and flew into a shrub. He heard it _**THUNK**_ against the plant, a noise, almost like a moan, came from the same area in almost the same moment. "Oh no! I must have hit a little baby platypus-bear!" He gasped and swirled a ball of air with his arms and jumped on it, riding it across the field to the hill. Once he made it to the top of the hill where the bush was planted, he gracefully floated off his air-scooter and landed silently on the ground. He peaked around the shrub with a gleeful expression. "It's okay little platypus-bear. I'm here to save yo-" His sentence skidded to a stop as his eyes scanned the situation before him. His face melted into utter horror. He gasped but covered his mouth, not wanting to be noticed by making noise. _Were Zuko and Sokka...? Oh my god!_ He thought with widened eyes and a skin complexion that was turning as white as a ghost.

Oblivious to their horrified audience, Zuko drew back from Sokka and smiled predatorily. Nudging at Sokka's legs, he pulled them up around his waist, and huskily asked, "ready?"

"No!" Sokka squeaked and thrashed more.  
_Is... is Zuko a __**rapist**__? _Aang thought with his mouth still covered as to not blow his silence. _No... no he would tell me! Wouldn't he? I mean... I'm the __**Avatar**__! _He looked around the bush again and saw Sokka wiggling.

Zuko leaned down and kissed Sokka, all nipping teeth and probing tongue. "I do believe certain parts of you are contradicting that statement," he said, glancing pointedly at Sokka's member.

"Seriously I can't take anymore!" Sokka whined, panting, "It hurts!"  
Aang gasped and jumped into the air, making an air scooter to land on when he reached the ground again. He sped away towards camp, traumatized by what he had seen.


	11. Quite a mistake!

The last glorious dregs of sunset leached reluctantly from the sky, replacing the delicate pink streaks that laced the clouds with a dark, pensive blue. Stars shyly appeared in the ever-blackening sky, shining with growing confidence as the blue was swallowed by the night, leaving only the silver moon to keep the shadows at bay.  
Zuko gazed up at the stars, firelight flickering capriciously across his face. He was lying stretched out on his back, slightly apart from the rest of the camp at the edge of the trees, savoring his rare moment of solitude. He closed his eyes, relishing the memory of Sokka's skin brushing against his. A log settled in his small fire, sending a plume of sparks whirling into the air. He absently twirled a hand, and the flames blazed with renewed vigor.

Aang quickly walked up to Zuko's small area and plopped down next to him. "Hello!" He said immediately.

Zuko cracked an eye open and glared for a moment before slitting it shut again.

"So um, can I ask you something?" He said and scooted a little closer to Zuko.

A loud sigh answered him. The eye opened again, annoyance radiating from Zuko's gaze. After a moment, when it became clear Aang wasn't leaving, he sat up and scowled. "...make it quick."

"So did you um..." He started but ended up mumbling the end of his sentence.

Zuko's scowl was clearly saying _if you don't spit it out soon and leave me alone I will rip your liver out and make you eat it_. He raised his eyebrow impatiently.

"Would you tell me if you..." Once again his words fumbled out of his mouth and became incoherent.

The fire exploded as he trailed off, flames splattering over the grass and burning the fronds into brown scars. Zuko crossed his arms, the embers casting his glowering expression into a demonic mask of red and black, made all the more fearsome by his scar.

"Uhh..." Aang looked at the ground and tried to put the words together in his head.

"WOULD YOU JUST FUCKING TELL ME?" Zuko snarled.

Aang squealed and jumped at Zuko's sudden words, "You would tell me if you raped people right?!" He blurted out.

Zuko stared at him. The crackling of the fire suddenly seemed unbearable loud in the silence. At last he replied "umm, what?"

"uuhhh..." Aang nervously looked him in the eyes. He bit his lip and squinted his eyes. "I saw you and Sokka uh... doing.. _things_...! And it looked like he uhhh..." Aang said quickly and slurred together.

_oh shit..._ Zuko thought, a seed of panic blossoming in his chest. "What... things?" he asked, playing ignorant.

"You know... things!" Aang flustered. He started to get embarrassed at the thoughts and images forming in his head.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"No, I don't!"

Aang couldn't handle having to explain it anymore. He cringed a bit before finally exploding, "Did you rape Sokka?!"

Dismay struck Zuko like a blow. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. He gaped at Aang for a second, then blurted "I... No! Of course not!"

"Then tell me what happened earlier today with you two on that hill!"

"I... nothing happened... why were you there?!"

"I- I was bored and looking for something to do! I threw a rock into a bush and thought it was a platypus-bear and... and I wanted to help it...!" Aang tried to defend himself. "I saw you... and him. Tell me what happened! If you raped him I don't think I could learn firebending from you anymore!"

"I didn't rape Sokka!" Zuko exclaimed. "Its just, me and him, we-" He cut off abruptly, straining his ears. "Did you hear that?" he asked. Before Aang could reply, an orange glow appeared from within the trees and thundered towards them. Honed instinct took over, and Zuko dove to the side, rolling as he landed. Quick as a snake he was on his feet again, a charred stretch of ground smoldering where he had been laying. Two more bursts of fire shot from the trees towards him. He swept them aside and squinted into the trees, trying to see a figure between the branches. A shadow darted from one trunk to another and Zuko shot a bolt of flame. It missed, scorching the leafy boughs.  
Another attack came from a second opponent who whipped a jet of fire at his legs. Zuko flipped over it and raced after the attacker. The figure punched two more fireballs at his chest, and he parried with three of his own. He swept at their legs, but they retaliated with a strike to his shoulder. "Who... are you?" Zuko grunted, ducking a blast directed at his face.

The group ignored his question and bolted forward into the firelight. Their faces were covered in thick, black masks that shielded their identity. The first one that had appeared lunged towards Zuko once again and swiped at his torso, a flame on the palm of his hand.

Zuko leapt back and struck him in the stomach, knocking him back several steps. Quickly, Zuko counted the attackers. There were six. He backed up, looking around for Aang. Before he could find him, two of them advanced towards him, whips of fire crackling in their hands. Then they were upon him, and it was all Zuko could do to stave them off. He evaded their first strikes, and managed to singe one across his chest. Then the other managed to weave behind him, and his whip cracked across Zuko's back. Zuko shouted in pain and whirled on the man, kicking a scythe of flame that sliced through the air and threw the man twenty feet into the trees.  
He turned back to find two more advancing upon him. He retreated, blocking their attacks. A root caught his ankle and he stumbled. His attackers wasted no time and leapt upon him, their whips whistling through the air. One scored a burning line across his ribs, and he jabbed at the man's legs, making him jump away to avoid it. The other whip wrapped around his arm, leaving a blistered, angry burn. Zuko charged the man, who was unable to get his whip around in time. Zuko plowed into him, and fired a blast of flame into his torso from point blank range. His attack lifted the man off the ground, until his flight was halted by the solid trunk of a tree. He hit with a sickening thump, and did not rise again.  
A sudden pain spiked through Zuko's shoulder. His arm went numb from the impact, and he was pushed to his knees from its force. He rolled away, and threw a ball of fire at the direction the blow had come from. Or tried to. No spurt of flame flew from his fingers, and he cursed. _Damn chi blockers!_ He cradled his useless arm to his chest

"Zuko!" Aang hollered as he sprung up into the air so to avoid the flames. He flipped around in the air and created a burst of wind behind him, shooting him head first into one of the attackers, plowing him into the ground. _I probably shouldn't airbend... Who knows if they're after me! _He thought. Aang looked around and stomped into a stance, the force of his foot hitting the ground caused a giant rock to shoot up from under one of the attackers feet, toppling him over. Aang forcefully punched up in the air and then back down, the piece of earth following every movement he made and crushing the attacker that had fallen over. Aang looked back at Zuko who was busy fighting off the few people going for him. While his head was turned, he saw a figure move behind him in his peripheral vision. Before Aang could react, he felt a sudden jab on the back of his neck. His vision went blurry and he fell to his knees. He shook his head to try and get the haze that now suffocated his brain to disappear. He pushed at the ground in hopes of bringing up a rock to use as a weapon. The ground was still. He gasped and cringed as he was struck once more in the neck and a few times in the ribs. He fell onto the ground and the world around him faded into darkness.

Zuko saw Aang fall. Anger bubbled up inside him, and his opponents quailed before the whirlwind of fire that he sent roaring at them from his one good palm. He struggled to his feet, but was too slow to escape the advancing chi blockers. Sharp flares of pain stabbed at his arms and chest from their swift hits, and Zuko's vision went black.

Sokka and Katara had returned from their food journey only to see the attackers advancing on Zuko and Aang passed out on the ground.  
"Aang!" Katara gasped.  
"Zuko!" Sokka said simultaneously.  
They both rushed to the scene but one of the attackers had picked Zuko up and thrown him across his shoulders. They ran into the trees and hopped on their komodo-rhinos who started plowing through the plants. The two water tribe siblings ran after them, not willing to give up their companion so quickly.  
Katara opened the flask containing water around her waist and twisted her hand in such a way that pulled the liquid out into the air. She swiped her arm through the air and sent the water flying in a spear shape towards the attackers who were picking up speed. The water hit one of the komodo-rhino's and cut it slightly. It made a noise in protest but continued to plow its way through the trees.  
Sokka pulled out the boomerang that he loved so dearly from the pouch it was held in on his back. He hucked it at the group who had just stolen Zuko. The boomerang merely hit a tree branch and deflected to the ground. "Awww... Boomerang!" Sokka whined.  
Their speed began to slow as they realized that the attackers were just too far ahead for them to catch up to. They panted slightly and stared at the gaping hole in the forest that the bulky animals were leaving behind.  
Katara suddenly turned to her brother and gasped, "Aang!" She ran in the other direction back towards the spot that they found the young boy on the ground. Sokka lingered in the forest for a few moments, still staring down the tunnel of broken trees before running after his sister to the camp.  
They reached the area where the fight had taken place and saw that Toph was standing over Aang's body. "What the hell happened here?" She asked.  
Katara solemnly walked over to Aang and pulled some water out of the nearby stream and held it over his heart. The water started to glow. Katara sent healing energy from her own body into the liquid in hopes of waking Aang up.  
Sokka looked at the ground and quietly muttered, "They took Zuko."


	12. Wake up Call

Cold slowly seeped into Zuko's joints. He shivered, unwilling to open his eyes. The darkness that enveloped his mind was comforting, safe. Memories loomed beyond the blackness, threatening to shatter his haven of night. He shrank away from them, clinging to the shadows of oblivion, but the memories grabbed at Light slowly leaked through Aang's eyelids, accompanied by a cool, soothing sensation. He moaned slightly and opened his eyes. Katara was leaning over him, her face drawn with concentration. A blue glow suffused the air around her.

Aang groaned a little as he started to wake up. Katara's face lit up at Aang's signs of consciousness. "You're okay!" She smiled. The worry in her face evaporated.  
Aang slowly sat up on the ground. He looked around and saw Sokka and Toph standing near him.  
"Glad to see you're okay twinkle-toes," Toph said with her arms crossed and a slight smile on her face.  
"I know you just woke up Aang," Sokka started, "but you need to tell us what happened back there." His tone was stern and serious, with a facial expression to match. "We need to get going right now to try and catch up to them!"  
"Aang needs to rest," Katara cooed with a motherly tone, "Why do you need to know so badly? I mean, Zuko can handle himself for a few more minutes."  
"No I need to go save him right now!"  
"Since when do you care about him so much?" Katara raised one of her eyebrows at her brother.  
"Since I fell in **love** with him!"  
Katara looked at him with a blank expression. Her mouth opened but no words came out.

"Wow, way to let everyone know with a bang Sokka." Toph muttered.

"Yes!" Aang jumped into the air above the trees and twirled in circles all the way back down to the ground, "Zuko's **not** a rapist!"  
Everyone stared blankly at Aang as he fluttered about.  
"...What...?" Sokka asked.  
"Oh uh... I saw you two on the hill and... Good for you Sokka!"  
Katara shifted her gaze away from Aang back to her brother. Her eyes were swimming with disbelief. "You..." She started but couldn't find the words to finish her sentence.

"Oh, here we go." Toph rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised you'd be against this?"

"How am I not surprised that you're _for_ it?" Katara snapped at Toph. She looked back at Sokka who was now biting his lip in anxiety. "Is it true Sokka? Are you...?"  
"Let's go save Zuko!" Aang shouted, interrupting Katara, "Yip! Yip!" The group heard the loud grunting from the air-bison as he landed next to them, shaking the ground.

Toph ignored Aang, and glared at Katara with her unsettling blank gaze. "So what if he is? You can't even accept it when it's your own brother?! What is your problem?!"

Sokka shuffled away meekly to the bison as the two girls argued.  
Aang jumped into the air and pushed the air under his feet to do a flip before landing on Appa's head, "Zuko! He awaits!" he tried again to change the subject.  
"What problem? There's not a problem with me! There's a problem with _him_," She threw her arm out in the direction of her brother who was climbing into the saddle on the bison's back, index finger extended in an accusing pose. "I knew that stupid firebender would cause problems! We never should have let him in our group!"

"Zuko's not the one causing problems!" Toph shouted back, the earth trembling a little beneath the wave of her indignant fury. "It's you needing everything to be perfect all the time! If anything comes along and bursts your little bubble of what's "acceptable" you have to freak out because it **offends** you. Well I've got news for you: Sokka can be whatever he wants because the world doesn't revolve around a bitch like you!"

Katara opened her eyes wide in surprise and scoffed at Toph, "Why I-" Before she could make a counter argument, the ground beneath her feet seemed to vanish. She yelped and then realized that the ground hadn't left her feet, her feet had left the ground. Aang sent a stream of air towards her to break up the argument before it got any worse and split his tutors, let alone his _friends_, apart. "Aang put me down!" Katara said with little physical protest. Her expression however showed a pit of rage building in her gut.  
"We need to go save Zuko! Can't you two just deal with your differences for right now and fight about it later?" Aang had no intentions of them fighting it out later but it seemed like a good excuse to stall them for the time being. "Now come on!" Once he dropped Katara into the saddle, he sent another stream of air to Toph. "Sorry about this Toph!" He moved the air in such a way that landed her on the bison's back with the rest of their group. "Appa! Yip, yip!" He called out. Without fail, the bison leapt into the air and started flying, following the trail of broken trees the komodo-rhinos had left in their wake.

The path of devastation was a scar of ruined trunks amid the sea of fluttering leaves. They followed it with ease across the island, until the trees were halted abruptly by a sharp drop-off to the ocean. Appa landed at the cliff edge, and the group stared across the wide flat expanse of water stretching out before them, searching for any hint of a ship. Nothing met the eye but a lone storm-petrel skimming across the water. A fog was rising from the ocean as the sun appeared at the rim of the world, streaking the clouds of mist with blotches of deep gold and fragile pink. The petrel flapped once, and disappeared into the haze.  
"The island ends here, doesn't it?" Toph asked quietly, truly blind from her perch on Appa's back. Aang stared at the misty horizon, sure that Zuko and his captors were hidden somewhere within the fog, and murmured an assentive. Toph nodded slowly, "is there a ship?"

No one answered her question as they were all distracted with searching the sea below for clues to Zuko's whereabouts. Eventually, Aang's vocal chords sang out in happiness, "There!" He pointed into the blue texture to point out a dark piece of cloth being tossed about the waves. He jumped off the bison who was hovering in place and froze a spot of the water underneath his feet to land on. Aang picked up the cloth and jumped back onto Apa.  
"Here, let me help!" Katara said as she moved her wrists and pulled the water out of the cloth, drying it off for easier examination.  
"Give it here!" Sokka said taking it from Aang's hands. He stretched it out and prodded it as his eyes scanned the colors and hues for any indication about where it was from.

"Step aside," Toph commanded. She snatched the cloth from Sokka's fingers and ran her hand across its surface, her sensitive skin picking up every nuance in the cloth. "Sometimes you seeing people are so handicapped. This is made from the pelt of a hyena-wolf. They are almost extinct, and only found on a tiny island on the very northwestern edge of the firenation, Yatuzaki. If they have hyena-wolf pelt, they are either extremely rich, or they live on Yatuzaki."

"Terrific!" Aang beamed, "Apa! Yip, yip! That-a-way!" He pointed towards the mist covered horizon and they were on their way.


	13. Pain and Confusion

_****WARNING: THE NEXT FEW CHAPTERS CONTAIN GRAPHIC CONTENT SUCH AS TORTURE AND RAPE****_

Slowly, Zuko's eyelids cracked open. He stared dully at the floor for a moment, unseeing, still caught in the grasp of sleep. His shoulders ached fiercely, pulled away from his body at odd angles. He realized he was slumped forward, held up by heavy chains pulling his wrists up and back. A modicum of strength trickled through his limbs, and he straightened, relieving some of the pain in his arms. As his wits returned, the memory of what had happened flooded back and Zuko lifted his head with a jerk.

He was kneeling in the center of a metal-walled room. His arms were pulled out painfully to either side, wrists manacled to two posts driven into the floor. His ankles were chained to the ground as well. He glanced around, breath rasping in and out. The room was about ten paces from one side to another, and circular, with the metal door facing Zuko. The air in the room was freezing. Clouds issued from Zuko's mouth with each breath, and he shivered in his frost-limned restraints. He tried to relax, to gather the energy to melt through his chains, but the cold was a parasite, sucking the heat from his skin. He tried again, and again, straining to pull enough warmth from his body, until he had no warmth left. The cold claimed him completely, leaving him hanging limp and lethargic, unable to summon the fire he needed.

A yell of frustration ripped from his throat and he yanked on the chains over and over, chafing his wrists until his skin tore and blood ran in rivulets down his arms. Exhausted, he fell against the cuffs and hung there, refusing to believe that he was well and truly trapped. The sound of a door opening made him look up.

"Hello _Prince _Zuko," A mysterious figure appeared from the shadows of the entry way.

Zuko squinted at the doorway, trying to make out the person's face. "Who are you?" he demanded roughly.

"I go by many names," He started as he emerged further into the room. His face was covered with a mask. It was the mask of a dragon that was usually worn during the Fire Festival. The masks usually held happiness and fun but in this moment, it was shrouded with mystery and intimidation. "I am a leader, a man, a father and a husband. But most importantly, I am your enemy." He walked closer to Zuko and leaned down to Zuko's eye level. "Not everyone in the Firenation was all that," he paused for a moment, "_thrilled_by your ending of the war."

Zuko snarled up at him. "It is not your place to question my decisions. I am your firelord, and ending the war was the right thing to do."

"You may have royal blood but you are no firelord." The figure stepped aside and let another member of the gang step into the room. "We're going to teach you a lesson about disfiguring the royal blood line with your '_good deeds'_."

The newcomer was a man as well. His face was pinched and his skin was pale as snow, as if he hadn't seen the sun in years. He pushed back his mop of dirty blonde hair and leered at Zuko with yellowed teeth, cracking his knuckles suggestively. "Well," he hissed, pleasure evident in his words. "Lets get started, shall we _my lord_?"

"Yes, please begin," The figure turned his masked face towards the chained up teen.

The blonde man smiled and stepped back through the doorway, returning with a wheeled cart covered by a cloth. With a grand gesture, he whipped the cover off the cart, revealing what lay beneath.  
Zuko swallowed, fear rising up in his throat. The cart was laden with wicked-looking instruments, all glittering with sharp points or serrated edges. There were too many to count. The blonde man saw the blood drain from his face and bared his teeth in a gross parody of sympathy. "Don't fret my lord," he said mockingly. "We will make your death nice and slow so you can enjoy every one of these." He wheeled the cart behind Zuko, and a moment later Zuko felt his shirt cut away. The cold air of the room struck his bare skin like a blow. Clinking came from the cart behind him, and Zuko braced for the touch of metal. Every nerve seemed reactive to the slightest touch. The movement of air along his skin already felt like the harsh abrasive lash of a whip.  
Then a blade caressed his shoulder. He flinched away, and heard the man behind him laugh softly. The cold steel slid down his back, tracing the knobs of his spine, not yet breaking the skin. He sensed more than heard the man's weight shift, and then pain erupted along his ribs, blossoming like fire as the knife sliced smoothly through his skin. He gasped at the sudden pain and hunched over instinctively, trying to protect the long gash carved into his side. Blood dripped from the wound, staining his skin with crimson.  
The blade struck again and again, and Zuko screamed. He jerked against the chains holding him in place, tearing more skin from his wrists, but still the knife fell. After a time, the man paused in his work, and Zuko heard him set down the knife and pick up another. Then metal touched his skin again, and time escaped Zuko. He couldn't tell how long the man stood behind him, hacking into his skin. The pain soon eclipsed all thought, overwhelming his mind and leaving him unable even to scream.  
When at last the man halted, the only sound that filled the room was Zuko's rasping breaths. The man entered Zuko's darkening vision, wiping the blood from the blade in his hand. "I do believe that's all you can take for today. We don't want you dying too quickly now, or you wouldn't be able to appreciate every aspect of our hospitality. But don't fret. I'll be back tomorrow. Sleep well, my lord." He smirked once, and wheeled the cart out of the room. The door shut behind him with a snap.  
Zuko couldn't feel the cold anymore. The agony that was his back allowed for no other sensation. The shadows writhing on the edges of his vision were spreading slowly across the room, but he pushed them back. He knew he couldn't survive another session like that. He had to escape now, or he would never make it out of here. Summoning every scrap of strength he had left, he tried to produce even a spark from his fingers, but the energy he needed wouldn't come. Despairing, he slumped in his chains, and allowed the shadows to rush forward and claim him.

In the dimly lit corridor outside of Zuko's chamber the man in the dragon mask and the blonde were conversing in a hushed tone so to assure that the firebender inside wouldn't hear them.  
"Good job," The man with the dragon mask praised, "Surely he will realize all of the terrors he has caused the Firenation. He will bleed just like the enemies in the other nations should have."

The blonde man inclined his head, his lips twitching into a smile. "Oh, he will. I will make him suffer for every moment of glory he tore away from us." He glanced back at the door of the chamber, licking his lips unpleasantly. His eyes flicked back to the dragon mask, a half question in his eyes.

The man in the dragon mask slightly nodded his head with approval.

The flash of a grin appeared on the blonde man's face for a brief moment. He inclined his head once again to the mask, then turned to the door and slipped inside the room.  
Zuko was wandering. A fog had descended over his eyes, leaving him lost. The chains had somehow disappeared. Even the pain had lessened somewhat. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was dreaming, but his pain-riddled thoughts rejected the idea. So he stood, mist swirling around him, afraid to move. The ground beneath his feet was cracked and rocky, vanishing into the grayness after a few feet. Nothing else was visible within the clouds surrounding him.

Unsure, Zuko took a hesitant step forward, somehow feeling relieved when the ground didn't crumbled to nothing beneath his feet. He took another step, when suddenly a figure moved through the fog. Zuko caught his breath. "Uncle?" he half-whispered to himself. The figure paused for a moment, then walked away into the mist. "Uncle!" Zuko shouted.

Heedless of the treacherous ground, Zuko ran after him. After a few steps the fog closed

in. Zuko kept running, trying to see through the grayness, but it was like being blind. After a minute he stopped, breathing hard. His uncle had gone. Zuko turned wildly, searching the mist. A slight movement caught his eye. He whipped around, and another silhouette coalesced through the fog. A pang went through Zuko. He would know the set of those shoulders anywhere, the curve of that cheek. He stepped forward, reaching to touch Sokka's arm, for him to turn and see Zuko, to kiss him and tell him he would make it out. His hand stretched through the fog, and then the sound of a door opening shattered it all.  
Zuko was back in the room. His arms were still chained to the poles. His back still hurt like a bitch. He raised his head, and saw the blonde man stepping through the doorway. Despair went through him like a lance. _This is it,_ he thought. _They're going to kill me. This is where I am going to die._ But the man wasn't wheeling the cart in behind him. Instead he stood in front of Zuko, looking down at him with the predatory gaze of a wolf staring at an injured deer. Zuko glared back up at him. The man smiled once, revealing his yellowed teeth, and that was when Zuko noticed the bulge sticking out of his pants._ Oh shit._  
The man licked his lips, and stepped around out of Zuko's line of sight. Zuko could feel his wet, heavy breaths on the back of his neck, and then a hand fumbled at the line of Zuko's pants. Zuko kicked back, but the cuffs around his ankles held him in place. Then his pants slid down, puddling around his knees. Zuko tried to jerk away, but the movement tightened the damaged muscles in his back and pulled at the flayed skin. He screamed, the agony sweeping away all other concerns. But it was only for a second. He came back to himself, gasping, hanging limp, and hands were resting on his injured hips, steadying him.  
Then pain exploded through him as the man behind him thrust hard. The push rocked Zuko forward against the chains, and he screamed again, feeling his shoulders stretch the wounds. The sound only seemed to excite the man farther. He thrust again, and let out a low moan. It was nothing like what Zuko had experienced with Sokka. This was hard, passionless, freaking **painful**. Zuko hated it, even more than the knives, than the lashings or burns. This was far worse. He tried to twist out of the man's grip, but his hands were claws around Zuko's hips. Without even breaking his rhythm, the man lifted one hand and ran it across Zuko's back, almost lovingly caressing every cut. Stars jumped in Zuko's vision. He arched his spine, trying to escape the man's fingers. The man made a noise in the back of his throat, and agony ripped through Zuko as he dug his fingers into Zuko's mangled back. Blood welled around his hand, and he dragged it slowly across Zuko's skin, his nails tearing at the gaping wounds.  
The muscles in Zuko's arms stood out in sharp relief. He screamed, long and loudly, straining at the cuffs that held him mercilessly in place. And throughout all of it, the man never stopped, pinning Zuko in place and thrusting back and forth. He clawed another strip across Zuko's back, breaking the fragile scabs trying to form. Zuko's head dropped, the pain ripping away all his defiance in a single moment.  
What seemed like an eternity later, the man let out a groan and released into Zuko. Then he withdrew, pulled Zuko's pants back around his waist, did up his own belt, and left. Zuko shuddered, revolted by the feel of the sticky white fluid still clinging to his skin. Disgust and horror at what had just happening flooded through him a minute later. He closed his eyes, feeling them prickling with tears, and need for Sokka welled up inside him. A moment later, the fog rolled back to shroud him in its folds.


	14. Go team Avatar!

Appa landed on a patch of earth that was just barely visible through the mist.  
"Good boy Appa," Aang smiled and patted the giant animal.  
"How the hell are we going to find Zuko in this fog?" Sokka practically lunged off the bison and looked around in circles for a moment before running off in a random direction. "Zuko?" He called, "Zuko where are you? Come on!" _Everything will be okay. Zuko's fine._ Sokka thought to himself to try and comfort his brain that was running into dark corners about what had happened to the other boy. He bit his lip out of nervousness and circled around in the same patch of grass for a minute. He couldn't see anything that was more than two feet in front of him. He clenched his eyes and fists tightly to try and hide from all of his fear and be brave. He opened his eyes, and nearly exploded with happiness when he saw a blurry figure in the fog. The outline was unmistakable. Sokka gasped and ran as fast as he could to the figure. He made his way closer and closer until his goal was almost within reach. The fog suddenly evaporated and Sokka's sight was as clear as it could be. His eyes focused on what he thought was Zuko, which turned out to be a dead tree and a rock. His brain kicked into gear and told his feet to halt. Too late. Sokka's face went careening into the tree, knocking a hole in it. He leaned there motionless for a moment before pushing back and standing up straight. He swayed a little and gripped his head to try and lessen the dizziness that now consumed his head. Blood pulsed from his nostrils and there were quite a few splinters embedded in his skin. He looked up at the tree in confusion. _How did...?_ His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill, high pitched voice.  
"I can waterbend, remember?" Katara had run up to Sokka and put a hand on his shoulder.  
Sokka flinched away from her touch and looked at the ground. His eyes swelled with disappointment and hate filled tears. One escaped down his cheek and fell to the ground. He was able to blink the rest away and conceal his emotions for the most part. "Right," he muttered and walked back towards the group. He looked around at his friends and his eyes landed on Toph. Memories that all of them could bend rushed into his head to form a plan of action. A stern, serious expression took over his face. He acted cool and in control, "Okay team, here's what we need to do. First: Toph! Can you feel if Zuko is _actually_ here?"

She knelt and put a hand to the ground. After a moment she looked up, frowning slightly in concentration.  
"The island is covered with tunnels. I can't tell where Zuko is, but there are definitely people down there."

"Great then we're at our island," Sokka tried to keep his tone cool but his words quivered with fear every time he formed one. "So the plan is that Toph is going to get us into one of those tunnels and find Zuko with her feet vision. Once we're in, Aang and Katara, you lead the way knocking out all of the people who try to get in our way."  
"Jeez Sokka, swapping spit with that **guy** has made you harsh!" Katara butted in, putting emphasis on the the word 'guy', trying to intimidate her brother about what he was doing.  
Sokka just brushed her comment away and continued to explain the strategy that he had created, "And from there, we find where they're keeping Zuko, rescue him, and head back to the island we were just on."  
"But won't they just get him again? We should go to a different island!" Aang suggested.  
"See, that's the thing. They'll be expecting us to go to a different island so we'll trick them by going back!" A little smirk was stamped on Sokka's lips at his self proclaimed brilliance. "It's a big island too so we can go to a different part of it. If they think that we went back to the same place, they'll think that we went to _exactly_ the same place, but no! We're gonna change it _slightly!_ Got it?"  
"...No," Aang scratched his head.  
"Well, we'll get there when we get there. Until then, we storm the castle!"  
"But, this isn't a castle!" Aang cried out in confusion.  
Sokka's palm and forehead collided with each other, "It's a figure of speech..."

A crack interrupted their conversation. The earth rumbled beneath their feet, and shifted aside to form the mouth of a slanted shaft descending into the ground.  
"If you two chuckleheads are done," Toph said, impatience lancing her tone. "We have a prince to save." Without waiting for them to answer, she jumped down into the shaft and disappeared down its length. After a few moments her voice echoed back up the tunnel, "Would you hurry **up**?!"

Aang and Sokka were stunned into silence at Toph's action. Sokka shook it off quickly and followed her down the shaft after shouting, "Right!"  
Katara looked at Aang. He gave a smile and shrugged before going down next. "Whooooooooooooooooo..." He shouted all the way down.  
Katara finally closed her eyes tight and followed their lead by jumping down the long tunnel.

The earth grumbled above their heads, and the tunnel entrance collapsed, leaving them in darkness. A moment later, a fiery glow cut through the shadows as Aang cupped a handful of dancing flames between his palms.  
"Alright Sokka," Toph said. "This connects with one of the smaller tunnels before joining up with the main shaft that cuts all the way across the island. Now we're in, what's the next step in your master plan?"

"Now we find where they're keeping Zuko. Aang, Katara, you lead the way and take out any guards who try to stop us. Our goal is to be quick, and powerful, not stealthy," Sokka explained. After he had finished his sentence, he took a deep breath and motioned for his team to start moving. Aang and Katara ran in front of everybody. Katara had her water pouch open and prepared, while Aang kept his arms in ready position. "Toph, tell us when you can see Zuko. Until then, we'll just have to go in blind-" He stopped mid sentence as he realized what he was saying.

"Oh anything but that!" Toph said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "How ever will we manage?"

Sokka showed an expression of regret at Toph's comment. They were nearing the end of the tunnel and could see the intersection to the main underground corridor. _I'm coming for you Zuko,_ Sokka thought. They were about 10 steps away from the intersection when two large, muscular men in armor blocked their path.

"Hey!" the one on the left barked. "What are-" Toph stepped forward before he could finish, and stomped down on the tunnel floor, sending a wave of earth tossing the two men into the air. They slammed back to the ground and crumpled into unmoving heaps.  
"Come on," Toph said urgently. "I can feel more that are on their way."

The group sped up and turned a random direction down the main tube. "We'll keep running until Toph feels him!" Sokka shouted behind him to the gang. He held his boomerang tightly, ready to strike at any moment.

Zuko was dragged painfully back to the metal-sheathed room by a fist connecting with his face. His head snapped back, a cut opening on his cheekbone. A fresh trail of blood trickled down his skin. When he finally blinked the stars from his eyes he was met by the leering gaze of the blonde haired man. Despair dropped like a stone into Zuko's stomach.  
"How are we feeling today, my lord?" the man inquired, sadistic anticipation dripping from his words. "I've brought an entire new selection of instruments for you to sample. I hope that they are to your liking." Despite the pain that tore through his back, Zuko lifted his head, and with the last of his defiance, spat into the man's grinning face. The man recoiled in disgust, and backhanded Zuko, causing his head to jerk to the side. The metallic taste of blood filled Zuko's mouth. The man wiped the moisture from his cheeks, and glared down at him.

Pulling a blade from his belt, the man leaned down and traced the razor edge along the line of Zuko's jaw. Zuko flinched slightly at the touch of the cold metal. A smile flitted at the edges of the man's lips and ever so lightly, he pressed the tip of the knife into Zuko's jaw, and drew a hairline cut up to the corner of his unscarred eye. "That was foolish, my lord," he whispered. "I will make the pain of yesterday seem like a woman's slap for your resistance." Zuko's screams echoed around the room as the knife descended again.

Sokka's face twitched as the sound waves of Zuko's yell's reverberated through his ear canal, reaching the tiny bones that were endlessly sending information to his brain. He sharply turned a corner and skidded to a halt in front of a steel door. The rest of the group caught up to him a moment later. Sokka was draped over the large handle, trying to break his way into the room. He pulled and pushed in every position possible, but no luck, the door was locked. "Toph, can you get this door open? I know Zuko's inside!"

She shoved him roughly away from the door and planted her feet in a wide stance. With a groan, the heavy metal buckled as she slammed her fists into the center of the door. A teeth-grinding screech filled the air, and a moment later Toph tossed the door effortlessly to the side, revealing what was beyond.

_I'm coming for you Zuko_, Sokka thought before he barged through the threshold. The sight that was before him sent crippling shocks through his entire body. He scanned the scene and took in every, horrific detail. The blonde man hovering above Zuko, the bloody knife in his hand, the blood stains on the floor, the red and purple marks that were spattered all along Zuko's torso, and the worst of all, Zuko's expression; which showed a combination of agony, and hopelessness. His breathing got heavier and it felt like his soul was a piece of paper that got crumpled up and thrown on the ground in a busy, city marketplace, getting trampled and torn. His dilated pupils quivered and sweat dripped from various poors, chilling his body unnecessarily. Goosebumps formed and the tiny, invisible hairs on the back of Sokka's neck stood at attention. He opened his mouth to say something but only silence escaped his throat.

Nothing existed for Zuko now except the point of the knife. The uncountable times that it slashed across his skin had driven all else from his mind. Dying didn't seem so bad anymore. He welcomed it as an escape from the pain, and his only regret was that he would never see Sokka again, never hear his laugh or feel his touch. So when the door to his cell was ripped from its hinges, and Zuko looked up to see that achingly familiar outline, he knew that it was only a conjuring of his own desperate mind. He let his head drop back to his chest.

All of the moisture in Sokka's mouth seemed to have evaporated. He felt more rage flowing through his veins than he had felt in his whole life. His pulse skyrocketed and his face started to fade into a deep hue of red. Sokka lunged towards the blonde man. His body moved so fast, the gang could barely notice that he moved before he was already gone. While in the air, he twisted his body and pulled out his sword from its sheath that hung from his hip. He brought it down as hard as he could into his target, creating a deep gash on the man's shoulder.

Caught by surprise, the man stumbled back, and clamped a hand to the wound. Blood welled from between his fingers and dripped down his arm. A snarl of pain appeared on his face and he slashed at Sokka with the bloody knife still gripped in his unoccupied hand.

Sokka was too quick for him. He ducked out of the way and swiftly appeared behind the larger man's elbow. Sokka grabbed his opponent's wrist and jerked back fiercely. The strike wasn't forceful enough to break the joint but it was enough to immobilize the man's arm momentarily. While he was preoccupied with the new pain in his elbow, Sokka slid behind the blonde man and hit him hard on the back of the head with his sword handle. The large, blonde man fell to the floor, unconscious.


	15. Reunited

A sudden cool sensation roused Zuko to awareness. The pain was still there, but it seemed muted somehow, and altogether less aggressive. Then something jostled his side, and he groaned. With an effort, he managed to crack open an eye and attempt to look around.

Katara was hovering over him with a stern look on her face. She was not happy to see Zuko awake. Though her gaze was fierce, the light blue tints from the water filled with healing energy that pooled in the crevices of her expression dimmed the intensity ever so slightly.

"...Ka-Katara?" Zuko croaked, his voice a whisper.

Katara didn't say a word and kept her focus on healing him.  
Sokka's ears twitched at the sound of Zuko's voice. He jerked his head around to see the situation. Less than a second had passed before Sokka's brain had confirmed Zuko's condition well enough to tackle. He lunged at the other boy, breaking Katara's concentration which sent the water dropping to the floor. She gasped slightly and furrowed her brow even more at Sokka. She exhaled sharply before twirling her wrists in an upward motion, pulling the liquid from the floor and putting it in her hip flask. She screwed the top on and stood up, trying to get away from the two as quickly as possible.

A barrier broke inside Zuko when Sokka came into view. Before he had time to sort through his suddenly raging emotions, Sokka was in front of him, and then his lips were pressed against his own. Zuko drowned himself in the feel of Sokka's mouth, in his smell, savouring them as he never had before.

"Oh and Zuko-ooohhh... " Katara had turned around to tell Zuko something about the healing she had done but instead her gag reflex sent the words she was trying to form into a black hole in the back of her throat. She shuddered and continued to walk away.

Toph noticed her reaction and glared at her from across the room where she was clamping metal around the blond man's wrists.  
Zuko finally broke away from Sokka and just sat, staring into his face, memorizing each detail all over again.

Sokka smiled at Zuko and was happy to just be sitting there, staring at him.  
Katara looked back again and finally decided that she was fed up, "Would you two stop it! It's so gross!" She shouted.  
"Katara, would you just calm down? It's not like it's hurting anyone!" Sokka protested.  
"No Sokka, I will **not** 'just calm down'!" She crossed her arms and puffed out her chest, "You know what gran-gran always said! Being with someone thats the same gender is wrong!"  
Sokka gritted his teeth, "I do not need a lecture. I know what she said and I know **for a fact** that she was wrong!"  
"I think you just _think_ that you like guys because all of your past girlfriends have failed and left you!"  
"Oh and you're Ms. Perfect-love-life? Remember that one boyfriend? And how he wanted to murder a whole village of innocent fire nation people?"  
"You leave Jet out of this!" She snapped, "This is completely different!"  
"You can't even confess your feelings for Aang!"  
The color left her face once the name escaped Sokka's lips.  
The airbender's jaw dropped. "Wh-what?" he stuttered.

"Uhh guys, I hate to interrupt this heartfelt family moment," Toph broke in, "but I can feel people coming. And I don't think they're gonna wait for you to settle this out."

"Toph's right, lets go," Katara stood up and tried to hide her blushing face with her hair.  
Sokka paused for a moment before standing up as well and muttering, "Right."  
Aang was the last to leave the room, he followed them all with confused thoughts running through his head.

Together, they ran down the hallway until Toph made a hissing noise and they skidded to a stop while she put her hand to the floor. "This way," she beckoned, and lead them down a tunnel branching off to the right. "Wait," Toph stopped them again after venturing only a couple hundred feet. Vibrations tickled her sensitive skin. She started to shout a warning, but before she could get out a word four firebenders stepped out into the fork they had just left.

Sokka had his arm around Zuko's waist to help the injured boy run with more ease. When the guards burst around the corner, Sokka was quick to respond. With his free hand, Sokka reached behind him and pulled out his boomerang. He flung it towards the guards. The bended piece of metal flipped through the air. It nailed one right in the center of his forehead. He fell to the floor unconscious. The boomerang made a curve through the air and started on its path back to Sokka's hand. The next guard shot a stream of fire out of his palm in retaliation to his partner being knocked to the floor. Halfway through his fireburst, the boomerang came behind him and sliced a gash into his shoulder, diminishing the flames in the air and stopping them before they could meet the group. Sokka caught his weapon before it could go further behind them. His eyes blazed with anger and focus.

The two remaining guards hesitated, caught unawares by the sudden attack. Taking advantage of their uncertainty, Toph sank into a deep stance. With two quick jabbing motions, she blasted two slabs of rock down the tunnel. They hit the two guards with solid _thunks_, and threw them back the way they came. "Hurry!" Toph shouted. "I can feel more coming. A **lot **more."

"Uh, what should we do?" Aang quivered. "There's probably too many of them to fight!"

Zuko's face twisted into a rage filled-mask, and he replied in a low voice, "we can take them." Flames sputtered weakly from his hands as he tried to shrug off Sokka's supporting arm. He managed to take a step towards the tunnel mouth, but barely a moment later his legs gave out and he fell clumsily against the wall, barely catching himself before hitting the floor with a crash.

Sokka gasped and bolted to help Zuko up. "You need to be more careful! You're injured! What if you had **died**?!" He asked, sweating profusely.  
"Sokka, calm down, he's fine," Katara said, quite annoyed at how much he cared, "no need to overreact."  
"I am **not**-" he paused mid sentence, "you know, just nevermind. We have to get out of here." Sokka had strung Zuko's arm over his shoulder to help prop him up. "New plan; Toph, you lead the way out of here. Katara and Aang, you keep any guards who try to get near us at bay. I'll help Zuko." They ran down a random direction, following closely to Toph. Sokka lost track of the number of sharp turns they had made. Every time they curved though, Sokka glanced over at Zuko to make sure he was okay. Eventually, the tunnel they were running down started to incline. Beams of pink sunlight were starting to become visible on the walls of the underground cave system. Sokka smiled, "We're close to the end!" Soon after he had stated the obvious, they reached the surface of the island. "Toph! Now collapse all the tunnels!"

"Ok, everybody, onto Appa!" Toph motioned them all into the bison's saddle and set her feet firmly in the earth. Concentration etched on her face, she took a deep breath and raised her hands above her head. The island began to rumble ominously. In a series of blindingly fast moves, Toph swept her arms down to her waist, then jabbed with her fists at the ground, once, twice. With a flourish, she took a step and leapt into the air. Her feet landed in a cloud of earth, and in the same moment, a loud noise of rocks smashing boomed across the island. The ground seemed to groan, screeching in protest, then lines spiderwebbed under her feet, and she sprinted to Appa's side. The bison took off, just as the entire island collapsed into itself, within moments turning into a giant rock slide, and was swallowed by the hungry waves of the ocean as they watched it dwindle to a pinprick on the horizon, safe on Appa's broad back.


	16. The Perfect Sunset

Sokka leaned back against Appa's saddle and sighed deeply. After a moment with his eyes closed, he sat back up and kissed Zuko on the cheek, "I'm glad you're okay," He said with a light smile.

Zuko smiled. With an effort he pushed the recent events to a distant corner of his mind, and thought of nothing but the feeling of Sokka's arm still around his shoulders. So that only Sokka could hear him, he whispered, "thank you for finding me." He turned to kiss Sokka, but froze when he sensed Katara's eyes on him.

Katara's expression bore straight into his soul. "Why the **hell** would you do this to my brother?"

The feel of Sokka's arm was not enough to stop his emotions from boiling over. He had been kidnapped, tortured, raped, and now Katara was trying to separate him from one of the only things that made him happy. Weak as he was, fire erupted from his hands and he met Katara's glare head on.  
"You don't know what you're talking about," he growled, trying his best not to blast her to cinders.

"Woah Zuko, calm down," Sokka tried to say.  
"_I_ don't know what I'm talking about?" Katara interrupted him. "_You_ don't know what you're _doing_! I knew you were going to be trouble from the very beginning but this is ridiculous!" She sneered. "You've turned my brother-" She paused and shuddered slightly before finishing, "-_**that**_!"

Zuko opened his mouth to spit back a retort, but Sokka beat him to it.

"Katara stop!" Sokka burst in. "Why do you think you need to run my life? I'm my own person and I don't think exactly the same as you! Every other part of my is the same, even this was somewhere deep down before even I knew about it. Nothing should be different!"  
"Sokka, I-," Katara said blankly.

"If this is any sort of argument, shut it. If there's anything I _don't_ need right now, it's this type of thing. The person I _love_ was just **raped, tortured, **and** kidnapped.**"

Zuko shifted uncomfortably next to him, shoving the memories even deeper into his mind. He opened his mouth but was once again interrupted, this time by Aang.

"Katara, you know that I would never tell you how to feel about anything. But why exactly do you hate them so much for this? It doesn't make any sense," Aang said with serious eyes.

"Two guys shouldn't feel that way for each other! There's no way it could work out!," She argued.

"But everyone's love matters. Who it's with shouldn't make a difference. The monk's always taught me that love has a million forms. As long as everyone intimately involved is happy, the people surrounding them should be happy," Aang smiled slightly, trying to make sure he didn't look angry or upset.

"The world needs people like Zuko and Sokka," he continued. "The world is all about balance, and they balance people like you and me just like water balances fire, or air balances earth. Do you hate me because I bend fire?"

"Well, no. Of course not Aang," Katara's expression softened. She looked away after realizing he was right. She took a deep breath before looking up again and towards Zuko and Sokka. "I..." She paused again and let her eyes fall to the surface of the saddle, another moment passed and she looked up, made direct eye contact with Sokka and said firmly, "Sokka, I'm sorry."  
The watertribe boy stared at her for a second. His lips curved up in a smile.

Zuko squeezed Sokka's hand, and gave Katara a tentative smile.  
"So... you don't hate me for going out with your brother?"

Katara sighed, "...no. But I'm watching you!" She leaned close to him, "If you end up hurting him emotionally, be expecting an ice burn to match your fire one." She scowled.

Zuko laughed nervously, not sure if she was kidding or not, but suspicious that she wasn't.  
"Aww you guys bring tears to my eyes!" Toph broke in suddenly. "Sokka got his girl"- Zuko scowled at her-"we've destroyed the bad guys base camp, and Katara actually admitted she was wrong for a change! What a happy ending!"

Katara furrowed her eyebrows at Toph.

Still smiling, Sokka pulled Zuko's face towards his and kissed him deeply. He broke from the kiss and stared at the pink and orange tints from the sunset that accented Zuko's facial features.

Zuko looked back at him, and smiled. Happiness filled him, and he turned his head to look at the setting sun. The fiery tips of the waves flashed by far below them, the deep blue waters touched with red. High above them, the cream colored clouds were lit with a delicate pink, streaked with orange. The wind whipped his hair back from his face as he turned back to Sokka and kissed him, letting Sokka's smell wreath around him.  
"You know," Toph said, breaking their kiss by throwing her arms around Sokka's and Zuko's necks. "I **have** always had a thing for girls..."

The End

**Thank you so much for reading our story! Sorry it always took so long for us to upload the chapters. Hopefully uploading the last five all at once will make up for it! Hoped you guys enjoyed it.**


End file.
